NEW YORK –With Muslim and European nations lobbying against its inclusion into the world’s largest humanitarian organization, Israel’s Magen David Adom is still far from becoming a member of the international Red Cross, said Avi Zohar, Magen David Adom’s director, during a visit to the United States late last month.
With no end in sight to its 53-year exclusion from the International Committee of the Red Cross, the Israeli group is concentrating its energies on bilateral relations and cooperation with the American Red Cross, including efforts to prepare for unconventional weapons attacks and mass casualty incidents, said Zohar.
“It’s the International Red Cross’s privilege to have us in, more than it is our privilege to be there,” said Zohar.
“We have many skills that could do a lot to help other countries,” he said, citing emergency medical technician training courses for Palestinians and regional blood banks as programs the Israeli group would like to initiate. “For the Palestinians, it would be very useful to have us as a member,” said Zohar.
Israel’s request for membership in the Red Cross was rejected in 1949 by secret ballot at the Geneva Conventions, because of its choice of the red Star of David as an emblem. Since then, Muslim countries have lobbied for Israel’s exclusion from the organization, and some have threatened to resign their membership if the Israeli organization were admitted.
In 1999, the American Red Cross began protesting Israel’s exclusion by withholding $5 million in annual dues to the Geneva-based International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. The American Red Cross’ dues make up 25 percent of the federation’s budget, and Zohar noted that its actions have borne some fruit, though mostly symbolic rather than practical.
“Because of the active pressure of the ARC on the international movement, they are taking a lot of measures to demonstrate they are doing something” to explore Israel’s inclusion, said Zohar.
Red Cross delegates from Europe visit Israel monthly “to show the Americans that they are taking steps to prepare for our admission” into the international Red Cross, said Zohar. At a convention in November, Magen David Adom’s representative was seated alongside representatives from Red Cross member states for the first time.
Zohar also noted that the Israeli group is increasingly acting like a member organization, having participated in rescue and disaster relief operations in the past three years in Turkey, Kosovo, India, Ethiopia and Eritrea — all nations with large Muslim populations.
Because of its exclusion, Magen David Adom is barred from all decision-making and influence within the Red Cross. When three Israel soldiers were kidnapped by Hezbollah in Lebanon last year, for example, had the Israeli group been a member, it could have pressed the Lebanese government much more effectively to allow local Red Cross officials to visit the soldiers, said Zohar.
Israel’s inclusion, said Zohar, would be a message to those still seeking to destroy the Jewish state, that Israel is here to stay. “This symbol would be one more fact on the ground in the Middle East that would say Israel is admitted and recognized officially. It would mean we are here.”
Among European nations, the British and Dutch Red Cross movements have begun to be more supportive of Israel’s efforts toward inclusion, said Zohar.
Switzerland, France, and Belgium “are supporting the Muslim countries for political reasons,” he said.