Op-Editorial as published in the St. Louis Jewish Light .

Almost overlooked in the swirl of dramatic events unfolding in the Middle East and around the world was an extremely significant and most welcome development: After 76 years of inexcusable delays based on blatant discrimination, the Israel Magen David Adom, or Red Magen David, has finally been admitted, along with the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, as a full member of the International Red Cross. As reported in a recent front page Jewish Light article by Keren Douek, the decision was "a long time coming," according to Kathy Lass, director of international services for the American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter. To their great credit, the St. Louis Area Chapter of the American Red Cross, as well as the American Red Cross nationally, have been extremely supportive of Israel's bid to gain full admission into the International Red Cross for the past dozen years. Back in July 2000, Dr. Bernadine Healy, then president of the American Red Cross, participated in a ceremony at the headquarters of the St. Louis Area Chapter of the American Red Cross, at which a permanent display of relief symbols was unveiled.

For many years, the International Red Cross, which is separately governed from the American Red Cross and other national units of the Red Cross movement, has recognized alternative symbols to the Red Cross, including the Red Crescent in Muslim countries, and during the era of the Shah, the then Red Lion symbol in Iran. The application of Israel's Magen David Adom, which had been founded in 1930, and which carries out all functions of other national Red Cross units, was barred from membership and recognition in the International Red Cross because of its use of the Shield of David or Star of David in place of the cross or crescent, in recognition of Israel's status as the Jewish State.

In what could only be described as blatant discrimination with a strong dose of anti-Semitism, Israel's application was blocked for decades, based solely on its use of the Shield of David symbol, despite the many years of appropriate acceptance of the Red Crescent symbol for nations which have a Muslim majority.

Again, to its great credit and commitment to principle, the American Red Cross had withheld $45 million in dues since May 2000 in protest to the refusal by the International Red Cross to end its discrimination against the Red Magen David. Bonnie McElveen-Hunter, board chairman of the American Red Cross and former U.S. ambassador to Finland, said to the Jewish Light on a recent visit to St. Louis, "The fact that they have not been included, we think, does not follow the overriding principles of the International Red Cross." She added that the issue of Israel's admission is "very near and dear to our heart, and one that we have for the last 48 years been diligent in working for, to bring an end to the discrimination of Israel and its inclusion in the International (Red Cross) Federation."

Under terms of the decision adopted in December 2005 at the International Red Cross Federation Diplomatic Conference, the Third Additional Protocols to the Geneva Conventions enable MDA to continue using the Red Shield of David when operating in Israel, and to use the newly adopted neutral Red Crystal symbol when operating outside of Israel. While the requirement of a "neutral" symbol for Israel's heroic work outside of Israel is a vestige of discrimination, the overall principle of its full admission to the International Red Cross movement has at last been accomplished.

Locally, we applaud the St. Louis Area Chapter of the American Red Cross, which worked closely on this issue with the Jewish Community Relations Council of St. Louis and the Midwest Israel Consul General's office, and the American Red Cross for their principled and consistent efforts which succeeded in ending the decades-long exclusion of Israel's Magen David Adom from the International Red Cross movement.