Magen David Adom (MDA) or “Red Shield of David,” was accepted on Wednesday as a full member into the International Red Cross at an international conference in Geneva. Even though 57 countries voted against Israel, 237 nations showed their support for MDA joining the international humanitarian movement.
Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, Itzhak Levanon, said that finally Israel has made history and corrected a distortion, which had prevented MDA from joining for so many years.
Arab and Moslem leaders attempted to torpedo MDA’s participation in the International Red Cross. Tunisia and Pakistan proposed that the “occupied territories,” which include East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights remain an area belonging to the Palestinian Red Crescent.
The International Red Cross confirmed its new symbol – the red crystal, making it possible for MDA to keep its symbol, the Red Shield of David.