[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 53 (Wednesday, May 3, 2000)]
[House]
[Pages H2422-H2425]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
EXPRESSING SENSE OF CONGRESS ON INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION OF ISRAEL'S
MAGEN DAVID ADOM SOCIETY AND ITS SYMBOL THE RED SHIELD OF DAVID
Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the
resolution (H. Res. 464) expressing the sense of Congress on
international recognition of Israel's Magen David Adom Society and its
symbol the Red Shield of David.
The Clerk read as follows:
H. Res. 464
Whereas Israel's Magen David Adom Society has provided
emergency relief to people in many countries in times of
need, pain, and suffering since 1930, regardless of
nationality or religious affiliation;
Whereas in the past year alone, the Magen David Adom
Society has provided invaluable services in Kosovo,
Indonesia, and Kenya following the bombing of the United
States Embassy in Kenya, and in the wake of the earthquakes
that devastated Greece and Turkey;
Whereas the American Red Cross has recognized the superb
and invaluable work done by the Magen David Adom Society and
considers the exclusion of the Magen David Adom Society from
the International Committee of the Red Cross and Red Crescent
Movement ``an injustice of the highest order'';
Whereas the American Red Cross has repeatedly urged that
the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement
recognize the Magen David Adom Society as a full member;
Whereas the Magen David Adom Society utilizes the Red
Shield of David as its emblem, in similar fashion to the
utilization of the Red Cross and Red Crescent by other
national societies;
Whereas the Red Cross and the Red Crescent have been
recognized as protected symbols under the Statutes of the
International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement;
Whereas the International Committee of the Red Cross has
ignored previous requests from the United States Congress to
recognize the Magen David Adom Society;
Whereas the Statutes of the International Red Cross and Red
Crescent Movement state that it ``makes no discrimination as
to nationality, race, religious beliefs, class or political
opinions'' and it ``may not take sides in hostilities or
engage at any time in controversies of a political, racial,
religious or ideological nature'';
Whereas although similar national organizations of Iraq,
North Korea, and Afghanistan are recognized as full members
of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, the
Magen David Adom Society has been denied membership since
1949; and
Whereas in fiscal year 1999 the United States Government
provided $119,400,000 to the International Committee of the
Red Cross and $7,300,000 to the Federation of Red Cross and
Red Crescent Societies: Now, therefore, be it
[[Page H2423]]
Resolved, That--
(1) the International Committee of the Red Cross should
immediately recognize the Magen David Adom Society and the
Magen David Adom Society should be granted full membership in
the International Committee of the Red Cross and Red Crescent
Movement;
(2) the Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
should grant full membership to the Magen David Adom Society
immediately following recognition by the International
Committee of the Red Cross of the Magen David Adom Society as
a full member of the International Committee of the Red
Cross; and
(3) the Red Shield of David should be accorded the same
protections under international law as the Red Cross and the
Red Crescent.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New
York (Mr. Gilman) and the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Gejdenson)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York (Mr. Gilman).
General Leave
Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks
on H. Res. 464, the resolution being considered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from New York?
There was no objection.
Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
(Mr. GILMAN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his
remarks.)
Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, today we are calling up for the
consideration of the House, H. Res. 464, expressing the sense of
Congress on international recognition of Israel's Magen David Adom
Society and its symbol the Red Shield of David, which I introduced
along with the ranking member of our Committee on International
Relations, the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Gejdenson).
This measure reaffirms our support for justice and inclusiveness in
the International Red Cross movement. Resolution 464 lends our support
to the efforts of the Magen David Society and strongly encourages its
acceptance as a full member into the international governing body of
the International Committee of the Red Cross, the ICRC.
The Magen David Society is equivalent to our own American Red Cross.
It has served countless citizens of nations in need for over 70 years.
It might come as a shock to some that while the national organizations
of countries such as Iraq, Libya and North Korea are all Members of the
International Conference of the Red Cross and the Red Crescent, the
Magen David Society, though, has been left out. The Magen David Society
has fulfilled its criteria for full membership, has requested
membership and recognition of the Shield of David as their symbol. The
American Red Cross has repeatedly sought to have the Magen David
Society admitted as part of the International Red Cross and the Red
Crescent Movement but has so far been thwarted by the political
prejudices of a small number of its member nations and others that
raise what I believe to be spurious issues concerning the adoption of
another emblem, the Red Shield of David, into the movement.
Congress in 1987 affirmed its support for the Magen David Society
requesting that they be admitted as full members. After 13 years, 13
long years, the ICRC is still dragging its feet on this issue, and the
Israeli Magen David Adom Society remains the victim of politics. We
must reinforce our support for this praiseworthy organization by
passing this resolution, H. Res. 464, and letting other members of the
International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement know that we do not
look favorably on this kind of bias and hypocrisy.
A working group charged with resolving this issue has recently
decided to call later this year a diplomatic conference of all the
signatories of the Geneva Conventions, as well as representatives of
each of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. That
diplomatic conference will decide whether the Magen David Adom Society
will be admitted to the International Movement of the Red Cross and Red
Crescent and whether its emblem, the Red Shield of David, will be
accorded the same protections under international law as the Red Cross
and Red Crescent.
By adopting this resolution today, the House will put all the
participants of that diplomatic conference on notice that this is a
matter we take seriously, that it must be resolved fairly and in
conformity with the principles of the Red Cross and the Red Crescent
Movement.
Accordingly, Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join with us in
adopting H. Res. 464.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. GEJDENSON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, let me join with my colleague, the gentleman from New
York (Mr. Gilman), in his remarks. In somewhat a stunning occurrence
over the last 20 years or so, the International Red Cross has argued
that the religious symbols they have, the Red Cross and the Red
Crescent, are not religious, but the religious symbol that Israel uses
somehow is religious.
Frankly, it always astounded me that year after year we would hear
from the Red Cross annually that the Magen David was a separate
category. One does not want to jump to the conclusions that somehow
prejudice has saturated their thinking, but it was very difficult to
come to any other conclusion.
Well, after almost 20 years of contact with them on this issue I am
frankly heartened that the present leadership of the Red Cross
recognizes there needs to be a solution. It has taken all too long. The
Magen David Adom has participated in International Red Cross
humanitarian crises in Indonesia, in Kosovo, in Greece, in Turkey, in
Kenya where the American Embassy in Nairobi was attacked. It has been
in operation since the 1930s. It functions with the International Red
Cross and Red Crescent in every way, except for official recognition.
It seems to me, as we enter this second millennium, that it is long
overdue for the Red Cross to accept what is the American proposal to
include the Magen David Adom in these international organizations and
to stop what has been, frankly, a bad reflection on what is a great
international organization, an international organization that has done
so much to save people, to stop suffering, to help people in crisis, to
have them continue to battle over what is clearly a prejudice that even
they are having a hard time now defending. It is long overdue. I
commend the chairman for his efforts.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr.
Lantos).
Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my friend and colleague, the
gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Gejdenson), for yielding me this time.
Mr. Speaker, I want to commend the chairman of the Committee on
International Relations, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Gilman), for
introducing this legislation. I want to commend the ranking member, the
gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Gejdenson), for supporting it.
Mr. Speaker, earlier this year in January several of us visited the
headquarters of the International Red Cross, and we had extended
discussions with the top leaders of this very fine organization
concerning the issue we are debating this morning.
While I must say I am deeply impressed by the work of the
International Red Cross, I was appalled by the failure of the
leadership in Geneva to take decisive action to put an end to this
outrageous form of discrimination.
The International Red Cross and Red Crescent have been doing an
outstanding job and Israel's parallel organization, the International
Magen David Adom, has been there helping in every single international
crisis. They were in the front lines of the humanitarian effort both in
East Timor and Indonesia and in the tragic bloody crisis of
Kosovo. They were among the very first groups to arrive, both in Greece
and Turkey, in the wake of the earthquake, and, of course, they stood
shoulder to shoulder with us to save American and Kenyan lives
following the outrageous bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi.
{time} 1115
I particularly want to commend the Chairman of the American Red
Cross, Dr. Bernadine Healy, for proposing
[[Page H2424]]
that we withhold any dues to the International Red Cross until this
singularly appalling form of discrimination is terminated. I strongly
support her posture, as I am sure all of my colleagues in this body and
in the other body do.
The Red Cross is doing an outstanding job. It should not besmirch its
reputation internationally by being part and parcel of an appalling
medieval discriminatory measure. The time is long overdue to put an end
to this practice and to recognize Magen David Adom as a full-fledged
member of the International Society of the Red Cross.
Mr. Speaker, I again want to commend my colleagues for introducing
this resolution.
Mr. GEJDENSON. Mr. Speaker, it is a privilege to yield 5 minutes to
the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Rothman).
Mr. ROTHMAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me time.
Mr. Speaker, I am here today to express my strong and full support
for House Resolution 464, and I do want to acknowledge the tremendous
work of our chairman, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Gilman), and our
ranking member, the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Gejdenson).
Mr. Speaker, what is wrong with the following picture: Many of the
nations of the world have what are called Red Cross societies, or
societies that provide emergency humanitarian relief, not only to their
own people, but to other nations when there are tragedies that occur
around the world. There is the International Red Cross, with a red
cross as its symbol; there is the International Red Crescent in Arab
lands with the red crescent as their symbol. The state of Israel has
its own version of the Red Cross, which, as my colleagues have said,
provides emergency humanitarian relief all over the world, in Europe,
Africa, Asia, all over the world, and their symbol in Israel is the Red
Star of David.
What is wrong with this picture? Well, the International Red Cross
Societies and the International Red Crescent Societies refuse to permit
Israel's Red Cross, the Magen David Adom Society, to be admitted into
the International Society of Red Cross and Red Crescents. They refuse
to acknowledge the legitimacy of that Israeli Red Cross Society, and
they refuse particularly to consider including Israel's Red Star of
David, which its ambulances and emergency humanitarian vehicles fly
overhead, like the Red Cross and the Red Crescent Societies. We are in
the year 2000, Mr. Speaker, and this kind of blatant prejudice still
exists.
What should we do as American legislators and as American citizens?
The United States Government provides to the International Red Cross
$119 million a year. The United States Government provides to the
Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies over $7 million a
year, those same organizations that refuse to allow the inclusion of
Israel's Red Cross, the Magen David Adom Society, which has been
providing emergency services around the world, obviously, without
regard to race, religion or nationality since the 1930s.
What should we do? Our own American Red Cross says it is one of the
greatest acts of injustice, that the International Red Cross and Red
Crescent Societies will not admit Israel's Red Cross Society, the Magen
David Adom Society, and refuses to accept the legitimacy of the Red
Star of David. Hypocrisy? Injustice? Obviously.
So I urge my colleagues in the House and my friends around the
country to speak loudly about this act of injustice, and, hopefully,
through the work of the gentleman from New York (Chairman Gilman) and
the ranking member, the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Gejdenson) and
our other members on the Committee on International Relations, finally
the International Red Cross and International Red Crescent Societies
will do what is right now in the year 2000, and admit the Red Star of
David, which has flown over so many tragedies, lending helping hands to
peoples all over the world for the last 70 years, to be included in the
family of those who wish to help others in need.
Mr. GEJDENSON. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 464 which urges
the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Federation
of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies to fully recognize the Magen
David Adom, Israel's counterpart to the American Red Cross, as a
member. I am pleased that the President of the International Committee
of the Red Cross, Dr. Jakob Kellenberger, has made membership of the
Magen David Adom a priority this year. However, the Magen David Adom
has been kept waiting for more than fifty years for full membership. It
is imperative that the ICRC recognize the Magen David Adom immediately
and not further delay the process. This could be done most easily by
applying the American Red Cross' solution: to ``grandfather'' the Magen
David Adom into the ICRC since it has met all necessary conditions to
become a national society.
I would like to commend the American Red Cross and Dr. Bernadine
Healy for their support and commitment to ensuring full membership for
the Magen David Adom. Furthermore, Chairman Gilman and Ranking Member
Gejdenson also deserve recognition for their leadership on this issue.
I hope my colleagues will join me in voting for this resolution.
Congress of the United States,
Washington, DC, April 5, 2000.
Dr. Jakob Kellenberger,
President, International Committee of the Red Cross, Geneva,
Switzerland.
Dear Dr. Kellenberger: We are writing to urge the
International Committee of the Red Cross and the Federation
of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies to recognize the
Magen David Adom (MDA) as a full member as expeditiously as
possible.
As you know, the MDA was founded in 1930 and is the
national humanitarian society in the state of Israel. The MDA
is the Israeli counterpart to the American Red Cross and
carries out all of the traditional roles of a voluntary
medical aid society including emergency medical services,
maintenance of blood supplies, first aid, and disaster
relief. Unfortunately, despite its dedicated humanitarian
relief efforts around the world, MDA has not yet been
recognized as a full member of the International Red Cross
and Red Crescent Movement.
The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a
worldwide institution in which all national Red Cross and Red
Crescent Societies have equal status. However, MDA is in a
decidedly unequal position. The Magen David Adom Society is
excluded from full membership in the International Committee
of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement solely because the
Red Shield of David, the organization's emblem, is not an
official emblem recognized by either the Geneva Conventions
governing the International Red Cross and Red Crescent
Movement or the Statutes of the International Red Cross and
Red Crescent Movement.
While other countries utilize the red cross or the red
crescent as emblems of their national humanitarian societies,
we respect the decision of MDA in Israel, a Jewish state, to
maintain the 70-year tradition of using the Red Shield of
David as its emblem. With peace slowly but surely coming to
the Middle East and Israel developing progressively more
relations with its neighbors, it is time that the ICRC
recognize the Magen David Adom as a full member, and the
Federation grant it membership.
As you are likely aware, the US House of Representatives
passed an amendment last year which expressed the sense of
the Congress that the MDA should be recognized as a full
member of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent
Movement. Congress may consider additional legislation this
year about MDA's exclusion from your organization.
We understand that there have been recent meetings between
you and the government of Israel which have brought the two
sides closer to a resolution. While we are encouraged by the
new positive atmosphere, we will be monitoring this situation
closely until the MDA is fully recognized by the ICRC and the
Federation.
Sincerely,
Eliot L. Engel; Constance A. Morella; Stephen Horn;
Jerrold Nadler; Rush D. Holt; Dana Rohrabacher; John M.
Spratt, Jr.; Anthony D. Weiner; James E. Rogan; Henry
A. Waxman; Joseph Crowley; Tim Holden; Christopher
Shays; Nita M. Lowey; Benjamin A. Gilman; Steven R.
Rothman; Tom Lantos; Peter Deutsch; Sam Gejdenson; John
F. Tierney; Howard L. Berman; John Lewis; Sander M.
Levin; Sherrod Brown; Charles B. Rangel; Juanita
Millender-McDonald; Gary L. Ackerman; James H. Maloney;
Edward J. Markey; Robert Wexler; Carolyn B. Maloney;
Janice D. Schakowsky.
Mr. CROWLEY. Mr. Speaker, I speak today in strong support of House
Resolution 464 to urge the International Committee of the Red Cross and
the Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies to formally
recognize its Israeli counterpart, the Magen David Adom (MDA) as a full
member.
Unfortunately, international bias against the State of Israel still
exists today. While the Israeli people have taken tremendous risks in
negotiating peace with their Arab neighbors and promoting normalized
relations with all nations, anti-Israel sentiment in international
organizations still prevails.
[[Page H2425]]
The reluctance of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent
Movement to provide recognition to the Magen David Adom is just another
manifestation of this attitude.
The Magen David Adom not only provides important services in the
State of Israel but also works internationally alongside other
humanitarian relief organizations providing invaluable emergency aid to
people in many countries, regardless of nationality or religious
affiliation.
Israel's recent response to the tragic earthquake in Turkey
underlines that the Magen David Adom is an important member of the
worldwide humanitarian community.
I am proud to be a cosponsor of this important resolution.
Mr. Speaker, the House International Relations Committee on which I
am privileged to serve, unanimously supported this resolution and I
urge my fellow Members to give this legislation the same overwhelming
support on the floor today and send a strong message that the United
States will not accept discrimination against the State of Israel.
Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Gutknecht). The question is on the
motion offered by the gentleman from New York (Mr. Gilman) that the
House suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 464.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor
thereof) the rules were suspended and the resolution was agreed to.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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