THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

Red Cross Statement Explains MDA Role U.S. Support

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(Continued from Page 1)
recognition to Magen David
Adorn at a special function
last year and the Shield of
David and the Magen David
Adorn flag and emblem are
now displayed with the
other flags in the local Red
Cross headquarters.
The three flags are
now displayed publicly
in the large window of the
Red Cross headquarters
on Mack Avenue. The
Red Cross statement fol-
lows in full:
The problem of inter-
national recognition of
Magen David Adorn, the na-
tional society of Israel, has
existed since its foundation
in 1948. The basic issue is
the inclusion of its emblem,
the Red Shield of David,
among those emblems cur-
rently in use and sanctioned
by governments through in-
ternational treaties known
as the Geneva Conventions.
"In July 1980 the Islamic
Republic of Iran abandoned
its national emblem, the
Red Lion and Sun, and
adopted the Crescent as the
emblem of its national
society which has been re-
named the Iranian Red
Crescent Society. This
change leaves only the Red
Cross and the Red Crescent
as the emblems currently in
use which have been ac-
corded international sanc-
tion.
"Controversy and misun-
derstanding surrounding
this issue prompt the
American Red Cross to pre-
sent the following factual
information regarding in-
ternational recognition of
Magen David Adorn:
"1. The American Red
Cross has always had
and continues to have a
positive relationship
with the Magen David
Adorn of Israel. The
American Red Cross has
always recognized the
Maven David Adorn as a
fully qualified national
society.
"2. Unfortunately, the
Shield of David was not ac-
cepted by the Diplomatic
Conference of Governments
in 1949 when. the present
Geneva Conventions were
adopted despite the vigor-
ous support of the United
States Government. The
Geneva Conventions are in-
struments developed by
GovernMents.
"3. Despite the fact that
the Shield of David is there-
fore not an emblerir that is
accorded the same legal
recognition as the 'Cross
and the Crescent,' the
Shield has had de facto
recognition both as an
emblem of the medical serv-
ices of Israeli armed forces
and as the emblem of the Is-
rael National Society.
"4. The fact the Shield has
only de facto and not de jure
recognition precludes offi-
cial recognition of the
Magen David Adorn inas-
much as rules for recogni-
tion of the National
Societies as determined by
International Red Cross
Conferences specify that
only
societies
using
emblems recognized in the
Geneva Conventions may

be afforded official recogni-
tion. It should be noted that
International Red Cross
Conferences are attended
by governments, as well as
national societies. Thus, the
recognition question is a
governmental issue and not
one that can be decided by
Red Cross Societies alone.
"5. Diplomatic confer-
ences were held in
Geneva in four success-
ive years — 1974, 1975,
1976 and 1977 — for the
purpose of drafting new
protocols (that is, exten-
sions) to the 1949 Geneva
Conventions. Delega-
tions from the govern-
ment of Israel attended
each of these four dip-
lomatic conferences in-
asmuch as Israel is a sig-
natory to the Geneva
Conventions. It is our
understanding that the
United States govern-
ment delegations assured
the Israeli government
delegations that the
United States govern-
ment would support any
Israeli request that the
Shield of David be
granted identical status
with the Cross, the Cres-
cent, and the then exist-
ing Lion and Sun
emblems... The Israeli
delegations did not re-
quest any one of the four
conferences to accord
recognition to the Shield
of David.

-

"6. The 1974-1977 dip-
lomatic conferences were
conferences of governments
and not of Red Cross
societies. Because of Ameri-
can Red Cross interest in
the Magen David Adorn, the
American Red Cross in-
quired of the U.S. Depart-
ment of State as to its
understanding regarding
the reasons why Israel had
not asked for international
recognition of the Shield of
David. It is our understand-
ing that the government of
Israel considered that an of-
ficial request for recogni-
tion of the Shield of David
would not be acceptable to
the diplomatic conferences
and that a negative vote on
the matter might conceiva-
bly jeopardize the de facto
recognition currently ac-
corded the Shield of David.
"7. Because the Magen
David Adorn uses an
emblem not granted inter-
national recognition, it does
not fulfill all the conditions
for full recognition and sub-
sequent membership in the
League of Red Cross
Societies, the International
Federation of the Red Cross
and Red Crescent Societies.
"8. Recognizing that the
Magen David Adorn per-
forms excellent services on
behalf of its country and
that in every way it is ex-
ceptionally well-qualified
as a national society for
membertip in the League,
except for the technicality of
its emblem, the American
Red Cross put forward a
propdsefl resolution to a
special meeting of the board
of governors of the League
of Red Cross Societies con-
vened in Geneva, Switzer-
land in October 1976 to con-

sider a new constitution for
the League.
"The American Red
Cross resolution recom-
mended that (1) a joint
commission comprised of
representatives of the In-
ternational Committee of
the Red Cross and the
League of Red Cross
Societies be appointed to
review the conditions
and procedures related
to the recognition of na-
tional societies in order
to adapt them to present
world circumstances,
and that (2) 'such Corn-
mission be enjoined to
consider in particular the
record and humanitarian
services of Magen David
Adorn, the national
society of Israel, and
ways and means
whereby that society
could be granted full rec-
ogntion by international
Red Cross bodies, given
the undisputed fact that
its emblem has been ac-
corded de facto recogni-
tion for several decades.'
Prior to requesting that
this resolution be placed
on the agenda, the
American Red Cross in-
formed the Magen David
Adorn of its intention.
"9. The government of Is-
rael sent a special represen-
tative to Geneva to confer
with the American Red
Cross delegation to request
that the resolution referred
to above be withdrawn. It
was his opinion that the
resolution should not be
presented to the board of
governors of the League for
action despite the fact that
it already had been circu-
lated to all delegations. Ac-
cordingly, after discussions
with the Israeli representa-
tive and appropriate offi-
cials of the League, it was
determined that the Ameri-
can Red Cross resolution
would be dropped from the
agenda.

"10. However, the senior
American Red Cross dele-
gates attending the League
meeting (Dr. Frank Stan-
ton, chairman, and Mr.
George Elsey, president)
felt that some positive ac-
tion in the interest of the
Magen David Adorn was es-
sential. The terms of the
proposed new constitution
contained language so re-
strictive as to membership
that, if adopted in the form
in which drafted, it would
make the consideration of
MDA membership in the fu-
ture especially difficult.
"Therefore, Dr Stanton
presented an amendment
which would have removed
from the list of require-
ments for League member-
ship the requirements that
a national society be eligi-
ble only if its emblem were
the Cross, the Crescent, or
the Red Lion and Sun (the
symbol of the Iranian
Society at that time.)
"If the American
amendment had been
adopted, it would have
cleared the way for
Magen David Adorn
membership without re-
quiring a change in the
constitution at such time

in the future as the MDA
might wish to apply for
membership. After ex-
tensive debate, the
American amendment
was rejected by a vote of
50 against, six in favor,
four delegates abstain-
ing, and 25 delegates
withholding their votes
and not recorded in any
fashion.
"Among the reasons ad-
vanced by those speaking.
against the ARC amend-
ment were that decisions on
emblems are within the
authority of governments,
not Red Cross bodies, and
that the question of addi-
tional emblems was a mat-
ter to be considered at the
final session of the diploma-
tic conference scheduled for
Geneva in the spring of
1977. (As noted above in
Paragraph 5 and 6, the Is-
raeli government did not
request the 1977 diplomatic
conference to accord recog-
nition to the Shield of
David.)
"11. Therefore, the re-
quirements that member-
ship in the League be
limited to Societies that use
the Cross and Crescent re-
mains in force.
"12. Despite the fact that
the Magen David Adorn is
not a member of the League,

relationships between the
American Red Cross and
the Magen David Adorn are
in no way impaired. In July
1978, the president of the
American Red Cross was
cordially received at the
Magen David Adorn head-
quarters in Israel where he
conferred with the chief of-
ficials of that organization,
discussing mutual interests
and future cooperative ef-
forts. In August 1980, the
president of the Magen
David Adorn made a similar
visit to American Red Cross
National Headquarters.
"13. Because of the com-
plexities of this issue there
continues to be an unfortu-
nate lack of understanding
of the relationship between
the American Red Cross
and the Magen David
(Continued on Page 18)

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