MISTAKING SPIT
FOR RAIN
Red Cross,
Crescent And Star
Hartford Courant, Editorial, December 19, 2005
Logic tells us there should not be a dispute over what emblem to use for the World's oldest and foremost relief agency. The International Red Cross is what it has always been, a humanitarian organization that for more than a century has crossed national boundaries to help people in distress.
But decades ago, Muslims insisted that the Red Crescent be accepted in countries that chose to use it. Red Cross members eventually agreed.
If the Red Crescent is acceptable to the
Red Cross, why not the Star of David? Israelis have asked the question
since 1948. They have been refused membership because
they prefer using the Star for their Magen David Adom relief operations in
But miracles are possible. Earlier this month, Red Cross members made a grand, although belated, compromise. They approved a proposal to change their symbol. Relief workers and vehicles would have a new emblem, a diamond-shaped red "crystal" on a white background.
Affiliates that also wish to use the Red Cross under the red diamond/crystal may do so. The same goes for affiliates that prefer the Red Crescent or Star of David.
What took so long? Nationalist politics and religion, of course. Symbols matter, but up to a point. They should matter far less than helping people in distress anywhere in the world.
We were tempted to call the agreement Solomonic.
No such fortune. After the congratulations, Syria's
representatives at the Red Cross raised an objection. They claimed that
admitting
The birth of the diamond/crystal requires the approval of
every Red Cross member. Do Syrians want to be remembered
as the lone holdout? Aren't there other, far more
meaningful problems that
Copyright 2005, Hartford Courant
From: Mark Rosenblit
Sent: Tuesday, December 20, 2005 13:56 PM
Subject: Mistaking Spit For
Rain
MISTAKING SPIT FOR
RAIN
Rarely have I seen a more error-ridden Editorial than "Red Cross, Crescent And Star" (December 19, 2005), concerning the recent adoption of the neutral Red Crystal emblem by the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Firstly, the ICRC's
more than half-century refusal to recognize the Red Star of David, in addition
to the Red Crescent and the Red Cross, as a permissible insignia for member
societies of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent
Societies has had little to do with the propriety of recognizing yet another
insignia and everything to do with finding an acceptable pretext for barring
the Jewish State's national medical relief agency, Magen
David Adom, from membership in that international humanitarian
organization. After all, the ICRC
had no problem accepting, as additional permissible insignias, either (pre-1980)
Secondly, the ICRC did not agree -- in a grand ecumenical effort to create a single inclusive symbol -- to change its insignia to the neutral Red Crystal, below which individual member societies of the International Federation would be allowed to place a Red Cross, a Red Crescent or a Red Star of David. Rather, the ICRC merely added the Red Crystal as a third permissible insignia. This means that, unlike every other national medical relief agency in the World, MDA will be forced to replace its impermissible national insignia with the Red Crystal on all international missions. However, if given prior permission by a host country, MDA would be allowed to insert a small Red of Star of David within the Red Crystal emblem during such a mission.
Moreover, altruism played no part in the ICRC’s decision to approve the Red Crystal, as that organization thereby sought to achieve two objectives, one injurious to Israel and the other beneficial to itself, namely, (1) Force Israel to recognize the Palestinian Red Crescent Society as the national medical relief agency of “Palestine”, a nation that does not presently exist; and (2) Convince the American Red Cross to release to the ICRC over 50 million dollars in withheld dues. The ICRC’s first objective has already been achieved. In order to obtain the prior consent of the Palestinian Authority to the adoption of the Red Crystal, without which consent the ICRC was unwilling to consider the additional insignia, MDA (and, through it, the State of Israel) officially recognized the Palestinian Red Crescent Society as the national medical relief agency of “Palestine”.
Furthermore, by incorrectly identifying
Thirdly, the adoption of the Red Crystal by the ICRC as an additional permissible insignia did not constitute MDA as a member society of the International Federation. That will require a separate vote and, no doubt, more humiliating concessions.
Yes, as the Editorial opined, "miracles are possible", but I prefer not to mistake spit for rain.
Regards
Mark Rosenblit
14 Coolidge Road
[Note: In June 2006,
both