[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 94 (Tuesday, July 18, 2006)]
[House]
[Pages H5341-H5345]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CONGRATULATING ISRAEL'S MAGEN DAVID ADOM SOCIETY
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree
to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 435) congratulating Israel's
Magen David Adom Society for achieving full membership in the
International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, and for other
purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read as follows:
H. Con. Res. 435
Whereas international humanitarian law is,
quintessentially, about principle, establishing standards of
conduct that can not be breached under any circumstance, or
for any calculation of political efficacy or utility;
Whereas 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, whose
mission is to prevent and alleviate human suffering wherever
it may be found, without discrimination;
Whereas the Magen David Adom (Red Shield of David) Society
is the national humanitarian society in the State of Israel
and has performed heroically, aiding all in need of
assistance, on a purely humanitarian basis, without bias,
even those responsible for acts of horrific violence against
Israeli civilians;
Whereas since 1949 the Magen David Adom Society has been
refused admission into the International Red Cross and Red
Crescent Federation and has been relegated to observer status
without a vote because it has used the Red Shield of David,
the only such national organization denied membership in the
Movement;
Whereas the red cross symbol was intended as the visible
expression of the neutral status enjoyed by the medical
services of the armed forces and the protection thus
conferred, and there is not, and has never been, any implicit
religious connection in the cross;
Whereas since its establishment in 1930, the Magen David
Adom Society, because it does not use either a red cross or a
red crescent, has been prevented from full membership in the
International Red Cross and Red Crescent Federation;
Whereas Israel acceded to the Geneva Conventions in 1951
with a reservation specifying their intent to continue to use
the Magen David Adom;
Whereas international consultations among nations and
national Red Cross Societies ensued until 1999, when the
International Committee of the Red Cross formally called for
adoption of a protocol to the Geneva Conventions creating a
third neutral symbol; allowing the use of either the Red
Cross, the Red Crescent, or the third neutral symbol; and
allowing for the third neutral symbol to be used in
combination with other national Red Cross Society symbols--
including the Magen David Adom;
Whereas a diplomatic conference to adopt this proposal into
the Geneva Conventions
[[Page H5342]]
was scheduled for October 2000, but was prevented by the
outbreak of the second Palestinian intifada;
Whereas the United States and the American Red Cross have
worked ceaselessly to resolve the issue of the third neutral
symbol and achieve full membership in the International Red
Cross and Red Crescent Federation for the Magen David Adom
Society;
Whereas Congress has insisted that funds made available to
the headquarters of the International Red Cross and Red
Crescent Movement be contingent on a certification by the
Secretary of State confirming that the Magen David Adom
Society is a full participant in the activities of the
International Committee of the Red Cross;
Whereas the American Red Cross has stood alone among all
the national humanitarian aid societies, and has withheld
over $45,000,000 in dues to the International Federation of
the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies to protest the
exclusion of the Magen David Adom;
Whereas the Government of Switzerland, the depositary state
for the Geneva Conventions, convened a Diplomatic Conference
of the states parties to the Geneva Conventions in December
2005 for the purpose of adopting a Protocol Additional to the
Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and relating to the
Adoption of an Additional Distinctive Emblem (the ``Geneva
Protocol III'') and rightly resisted efforts to block the
broad international consensus in favor of resolving the third
neutral symbol question;
Whereas the efforts by the United States and the American
Red Cross at the Diplomatic Conference in December 2005 were
critical to achieving both an overwhelming positive vote in
favor of adopting the Geneva Protocol III, as well as an
extremely important memorandum of understanding between the
Magen David Adom and the Palestinian Red Crescent Society;
Whereas sustaining international support for the adoption
of the third neutral symbol against efforts to divert the
conference into unrelated political matters required
extraordinary diplomatic efforts by the United States and the
American Red Cross;
Whereas the Geneva Protocol III adopted in Geneva in
December 2005 established the new third neutral symbol, the
``red crystal'' that can be used in conjunction with the Red
Shield of David and cleared the way for Israel's full
participation in the international movement;
Whereas in June 2006 the states parties to the Geneva
Conventions, the national Red Cross and Red Crescent
societies, the Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent
Societies, and the International Committee of the Red Cross
met in Geneva to adopt rules implementing the Geneva Protocol
III; and
Whereas following the June 2006 meeting in Geneva, the
International Red Cross and Red Crescent Federation accepted
the Magen David Adom Society as a full member: Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring), That--
(1) Congress--
(A) commends the Magen David Adom Society for its long and
distinguished record of providing humanitarian assistance to
all those in need of aid, even those responsible for heinous
atrocities against Israeli civilians;
(B) congratulates the Magen David Adom Society, and the
Government and the people of the State of Israel, for
securing full membership in the International Red Cross and
Red Crescent Federation, 57 years past due;
(C) thanks the President, the Secretary of State, and
United States diplomatic representatives for their tireless
pursuit and maintenance of the international support that
culminated in the Magen David Adom Society's recent
acceptance as a full member in the International Red Cross
and Red Crescent Federation;
(D) thanks the American Red Cross for its unwavering and
unyielding insistence within the International Red Cross and
Red Crescent Movement that the humanitarian principle of
universality could not be reconciled with continued exclusion
of the Magen David Adom Society; and
(E) thanks the Government of Switzerland and officials of
the International Committee of the Red Cross for helping to
prepare the necessary groundwork and carrying to completion
the adoption of the Geneva Protocol III by the states parties
to the Geneva Conventions and the rules for its
implementation; and
(2) Congress commends the President for--
(A) submitting the Geneva Protocol III to the Senate for
its advice and consent; and
(B) pending approval by the Senate, preparing for
congressional consideration and enactment of legislation
necessary to carry into effect the Geneva Protocol III.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from
Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) and the gentleman from New York (Mr.
Ackerman) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Florida.
General Leave
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all
Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks
and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentlewoman from Florida?
There was no objection.
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of House Concurrent Resolution
435, congratulating Israel's Magen David Adom Society for achieving
full membership in the International Red Cross and the Red Crescent
Movement.
On June 22, the Society was recognized by the International Committee
of the Red Cross and admitted as a full member into the International
Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.
The Society's attaining full membership in the International Red
Cross and the Red Crescent Movement is a significant achievement, as it
marks an end to Israel's almost 60-year-old isolation from the
international human rights assistance community.
Since 1949, the Society has been refused admission into the
International Red Cross and the Red Crescent Movement simply due to the
fact that they used the Red Shield of David as its symbol. For years,
the Society has worked closely with the International Red Cross
bringing emergency relief to victims of hurricanes, earthquakes, and
floods around the globe.
It has brought its medical services and cutting-edge technology to
provide assistance to disasters, such as Katrina in the U.S. Gulf
Coast, tsunami relief in southeast Asia, and the flooding in Romania.
This resolution commends the Magen David Adom Society for its
distinguished record of humanitarian service and congratulates this
organization for achieving full membership in the International Red
Cross and Red Crescent Movement.
The resolution before us thanks the President and the Secretary of
State for their tireless efforts toward this goal, and for submitting
to the Senate the third additional protocol for the Geneva Convention.
The resolution also expresses appreciation to the American Red Cross
for its insistence that the goals of the International Red Cross and
the Red Crescent Movement could not be credibly accomplished if Magen
David Adom was excluded.
Lastly, this measure thanks the Government of Switzerland and the
International Committee of the Red Cross for paving the way for
Israel's full inclusion into the international humanitarian assistance
community.
I would like to extend my personal congratulations to the Magen David
Adom for the remarkable job that it has done for years in saving the
lives around the globe and for this landmark achievement.
I want to give a personal congratulations to my ranking member on the
Middle East and Central Asia Subcommittee, Mr. Ackerman, who is the
author and the chief sponsor of this resolution. This is a subject with
which he has been intimately involved in a number of years, and it is
thanks in large part to his participation in this effort that we have
finally brought this organization on board. Congratulations.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. ACKERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this
resolution, and yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the chairman and ranking member for
their assistance in getting this resolution through the committee, and
especially note the hard work and determination of my colleague, the
chairperson of the subcommittee, Ms. Ros-Lehtinen of Florida. Their
support is deeply appreciated.
Mr. Speaker, there are very, very few issues that are really just
black and white, where there are good guys and there are bad guys. This
struggle, the 60-year effort to win membership for Israel's
humanitarian society, the Magen David Adom, Israel's Blue Shield of
David, into the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, has
been such an enterprise.
Like all of my colleagues speaking in support of this resolution, I
am honored to have been part of that struggle, and am deeply gratified
by the clear, indeed overwhelming victory MDA won last month in Geneva.
It is a triumph where humanitarian principles overranked politics and
bigotry.
[[Page H5343]]
It is a triumph for the State of Israel and the Jewish people. It is
a triumph for patient, cooperative, multilateral diplomacy and
especially American leadership. The victory of MDA really illustrates
how important American leadership is, and what this Nation can
accomplish with determination, tenacity, and a commitment to holding
and protecting the moral high ground in international debate.
There never was a good argument against MDA. And with that fact came
the moral strength and clarity. And with that strength and clarity came
this hard-won victory.
As Dr. Martin Luther King liked to say, the arc of the universe is
long, but it bends towards justice. A lot of people earned a share of
the success that occurred in Geneva. Many of us in the House wrote
letters, spoke directly with the Red Cross officials in Europe and with
officials within the administration to let them know that Congress
backed them 100 percent.
All we asked in return was, What more we could do to help? Credit is
also due to America's diplomats and to America's humanitarians.
Secretary Rice's State Department showed again what a force American
diplomacy can be in a righteous cause.
And the American Red Cross, the American Red Cross alone in the
entire world drew a line in the sand, withholding $45 million in dues
to the Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies until the MDA
won equal treatment. Only the American Red Cross was willing to put its
money where its mouth was and to insist that international humanitarian
law should not, could not, and now thankfully cannot be used as a tool
of discrimination against Israel.
This resolution congratulates Israel on the Magen David Adom Society,
which is facing a terrible trial right now, with terrorist rockets
falling both in northern and southern Israel. Our thoughts and prayers
are with them both. The Magen David Adom stands for everything
Hezbollah and Hamas reject, the independence of Israel as a sovereign
Jewish state, equal treatment and protection for all people, regardless
of their faith, and the belief that there are standards of behavior
beyond the realm of political convenience, and above all, the value of
life over death.
Mr. Speaker, in the business of international politics and diplomacy,
clear-cut triumphs are few and far between. I am thrilled to be able to
celebrate with you today what a bipartisan, bicameral, cross-branch,
multinational, public-private effort can do.
{time} 1630
But what we are here to celebrate principally is a high moral
triumph. I want to thank all of those who helped bring us to this great
day and to the Magen David Adom, I say yasher koach, and
congratulations on this well-deserved and long-overdue victory.
I urge all of my colleagues to support this resolution.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 2\1/4\ minutes to the gentlewoman from Nevada
(Ms. Berkley) and thank her for her leadership in this effort as well.
Ms. BERKLEY. Thank you very much, coming from you, who truly was a
leader in this issue. I appreciate the recognition and do not deserve
it.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the resolution and ask for
its immediate passage. Since its establishment in 1930, Magen David
Adom, or MDA, has been denied membership in the International Committee
of the Red Cross for refusing to replace its red Star of David emblem
with one of the approved symbols.
For nearly 60 years, the International Red Cross refused to admit MDA
unless it adopted the red cross or the red crescent as its symbol. This
past December, a third additional emblem, the red diamond, was finally
established. It is about time.
Since 1949, the Magen David Adom Society was the only national
organization denied full membership in the International Red Cross and
Red Crescent movement. It was denied full membership simply because it
used a red star instead of a red cross or a red crescent.
It should not have taken 60 years for an honest discussion of MDA
membership in the Red Cross, free from religious intolerance or
bigotry. During that time, the American Red Cross stood alone as the
only member of the International Red Cross to protest the exclusion of
the MDA.
In those 60 years, in spite of the official slight, MDA has performed
heroically, aiding those in need and providing humanitarian assistance.
It has done this without regard for race or religion. It did this to
help alleviate pain and suffering throughout the world, even among
Israel's enemies.
In April of this year, MDA was in Romania assisting the local
population after the disastrous flooding of the Danube. After Hurricane
Katrina, MDA collected donations, clothing and equipment in Israel to
help meet the needs of the hundreds of thousands of homeless.
Last month, the state party to the Geneva convention adopted the
neutral red diamond symbol of the International Red Cross and Red
Crescent Movement finally accepted MDA as a full member. May I say it's
about time.
I join my colleagues in congratulating MDA on its admittance to the
Red Cross. While this should have happened 60 years ago, we are glad
that MDA has been given the recognition that it has always deserved.
Mr. ACKERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the
distinguished gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel), who has been one of
the paramount leaders in this fight.
Mr. ENGEL. I thank my friend from New York. All of us in New York
that are distinguished gentlemen think that everybody else is a
distinguished gentleman. So I thank the distinguished gentleman from
New York, and I commend him and my good friend from Florida (Ms. Ros-
Lehtinen) for this very important and very, very timely resolution.
For many, many years, everyone you have heard speak, Mr. Speaker, has
played an important part in finally getting Magen David Adom
recognized. One of the problems that we have seen in international
bodies is that Israel has been systematically excluded and vilified by
majorities that have nothing to do with what's right and nothing to do
with reality, but just simply trying to ostracize Israel and make it
difficult for them, whether it is in the United Nations or anything
else. This was the case with the International Society of the Red
Cross.
This happened for many, many years, and then the United States
Society of the Red Cross really got involved at the behest of many of
us. We have been very, very helpful in finally paving the way for this
compromise that so many of my colleagues have spoken about. I had the
good fortune to be in Geneva when this was agreed to and this was done.
It was very good for me to personally be there to see it, because,
again, this has been 10 years or more that many of us in Congress have
worked together to try to see this. At the last minute, it nearly got
derailed again because Syria was playing its old games, up to its old
games, and then tried to make it very, very difficult.
When people are in need, politics should not be involved. It doesn't
matter whether it is the Red Cross or Red Crescent or Magen David Adom.
Whatever society the people who are helping want to help, politics
should not play a role.
Those of us who are New Yorkers and lived through the World Trade
Center, we know how important it is to have the first responders there
to help us.
It is fair, it is equitable and I commend my colleagues.
Mr. ACKERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the very
distinguished gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cardin) and thank him not
just for his leadership but for his life-long commitment.
Mr. CARDIN. Let me thank my friend from New York (Mr. Ackerman) for
his leadership on many of these issues.
Mr. Speaker, this is an important moment. We have been working now,
many have been working now, for almost 60 years to bring this date
together. The Magen David Adom Society, like the Red Cross and Red
Crescent Society, provides unbiased aid, regardless of whom is in need.
Mr. Speaker, when tragedies occur, it is a welcome sight to see the
internationally recognized symbol of help. It has been true in all
countries where members have been part of the Red Cross and Red
Crescent movement, but Israel was denied that membership.
[[Page H5344]]
For reasons unrelated to its society that provided that help, the MDA
provided unbiased help to all in need and was entitled to be recognized
internationally. It has taken almost 60 years to achieve this moment,
and I think it is very appropriate that we, in this body, recognize
this moment and the role that the United States has played in making
this happen.
But for the leadership of our country in support of the MDA in
Israel, we would not be able to celebrate this moment, and victims of
disasters would be the losers. I congratulate all involved. I urge my
colleagues to support the resolution.
I rise today in strong support as an original co-sponsor of H. Con.
Res. 435, which congratulates Israel's Magen David Adom Society for
achieving full membership in the International Red Cross and Red
Crescent Movement.
Since its founding in 1859, the International Red Cross and Red
Crescent Movement have helped millions of people in need through its
dedication to providing impartial and compassionate aid to victims of
war, internal violence, and disaster, regardless of political or
religious affiliation. For over 140 years, the Movement has been the
world's leader in humanitarian aid.
In Israel, the Magen David Adom (MDA) Society has upheld these same
goals, providing impartial aid to those in need. As a committed
humanitarian organization, MDA has been a model of excellence,
embodying the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement's goals of humanity,
impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity, and
universality.
Unfortunately, the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement has for
decades rejected the MDA's full admittance into the Organization
because of the MDA's refusal to use the accepted symbols of a cross or
crescent.
It has taken decades of discussion to reach a compromise, but one
comes to us now in the form of a diamond. The red crystal will soon fly
high--a beacon of hope to all who see it.
Since its founding in 1930, the MDA has proven its quality time and
again through its rapid response to war areas and to natural disasters
such as the earthquakes and tsunami, as well as through its
compassionate treatment of civilian victims and injured perpetrators of
horrific acts of violence alike. The MDA, like all Red Cross and Red
Crescent societies, provides unbiased aid, regardless of who is in
need. For this they are at last being recognized through full
membership in the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement--a classification
they have long since deserved.
The MDA has fought for this designation since 1949, but until now has
been perpetually relegated to observer status due solely to its use of
the Shield of David as their symbol. The American Red Cross, the U.S.
Government, and Congress have never wavered in their pressure for this
positive outcome, and I am thrilled that now the MDA will benefit from
full membership in the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement--benefits
that will then be passed on to the millions of victims that the
Organization helps.
This solidarity on behalf of impartial humanitarian aid is especially
commendable given the current climate in the Middle East. In a moment
in history when the region hovers on the brink of war, the
internationally-recognized symbols of help and compassion are a welcome
sight on all fronts, reminding us all of the dignity of life and the
necessity of compromise and compassion. The union of the MDA and the
Red Cross and Crescent Movement represents a movement towards
cooperation and consideration, and encourages hope in a time when such
hope is so desperately needed.
I urge my colleagues to pass this resolution to celebrate a new
symbol of hope on the Israeli landscape, and to congratulate the Magen
David Adom Society for at last achieving the recognition it has long
deserved.
Mr. SHAYS. Mr. Speaker, I am so pleased the day has come that
Congress can officially congratulate Israel's Magen David Adom Society
for achieving full membership in the International Red Cross and Red
Crescent Movement.
Since the Knesset ratified the Magen David Adom Law in 1950, the
Society has functioned as Israel's National Red Cross Society. While
acting in accordance with the Geneva Convention, Magen David Adom has
maintained a national civilian blood bank and has also provided
emergency first-aid services and temporary shelter in emergency
situations.
As Israel has defended itself against terrorist attacks, the Magen
David Adom Society has been there to bravely and heroically provide
humanitarian assistance to all those in need. Yet despite its clear and
undeniable accordance with the principles of the International Red
Cross and Red Crescent Societies, until recently Magen David Adom was
refused admission into the International Red Cross and Red Crescent
Movement and has been relegated to observer status without a vote
because it has used the Red Shield of David. As such, it was the only
such national organization denied membership in the Movement.
In 2005, the Government of Switzerland convened a Diplomatic
Conference of the states parties to the Geneva Conventions to adopt a
Third Additional Protocol allowing for the third neutral symbol to be
used in combination with other national Red Cross Society symbols. I am
so grateful to the Swiss government for initiating this effort and
proud of the United States diplomats who worked tirelessly to achieve
an overwhelming positive vote in favor of adopting this protocol.
So I wish to extend my heartfelt congratulations to the Magen David
Adom Society for its full membership in the International Red Cross and
Red Crescent Movement and my appreciation for its distinguished record
of providing humanitarian assistance to all those in need of aid.
Mr. HONDA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the Magen David
Adom (MDA) Society for securing full membership in the International
Red Cross.
For many years the Magen David Adom Society was denied the right to
join the International Red Cross. The Red Cross informed them that they
could not use the Star of David, a symbol integral to their identity as
the first aid and disaster relief organization of the Jewish State. The
International Red Cross informed them that in order to join they would
have to abandon their symbol and take on a symbol like the Christian
cross or Moslem red crescent.
Standing fast to their principles, they continued to use the Star of
David as their symbol as they dedicated themselves to excellence and
rose as one of the premier ambulatory organizations in the world. In
addition to their extensive record in providing aid to those in need
all throughout Israel, they have excelled through their contributions
to medical relief efforts throughout the world. The United States owes
a great debt to MDA's assistance during the Hurricane Katrina disaster
where they used their expertise and state-of-the-art technology to save
the lives of countless Americans. Their relief work abroad is
extensive, including their recent disaster relief work in Turkey, Sri
Lanka, and Romania.
In light of the MDA's role as a leader in the field, Secretary of
State Condoleezza Rice diligently worked with our allies abroad to
allow MDA to join the International Red Cross. Through her work and the
efforts of countless others, Israel's medical society has finally been
admitted to the International Red Cross when a neutral symbol, the Red
Diamond, was accepted as an alternative symbol. Israel is now free to
use the Star of David within a diamond as their international insignia
as a full-fledged member of the International Red Cross. This alliance
between the Magen David Adom Society and the International Committee of
the Red Cross is truly a monumental step for all humanitarian efforts
and hopefully can serve as a model of international goodwill.
Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this
resolution and to congratulate Magen David Adom Society for achieving
full membership in the International Red Cross.
Magen David Adom (MDA), Israel's first-aid and disaster relief
organization, was granted full membership into the International Red
Cross and Red Crescent Society on June 21, 2006. The decision, which
took place in Geneva, Switzerland at the 29th International Conference
of the Red Cross and Red Crescent voted to accept both the Palestinian
Red Crescent and Magen David Adom. Both organizations are now full
voting members, and received crucial funding to assist in their life-
saving work.
Internationally, MDA has served in crisis spots around the world for
50 years alongside Red Cross, bringing emergency relief to victims of
hurricanes, floods, and earthquakes. Earlier this year, MDA specialists
flew to Romania to assist the local population with the disastrous
flooding of the River Danube.
During the Katrina nightmare, MDA started ``United Brotherhood'' to
collect donations, clothing and equipment in Israel to help meet the
needs of the 400,000 homeless along the American gulf coast.
The relief effort after Southeast Asian tsunami found MDA running two
emergency clinics in Sri Lanka and providing thousands of blood units.
At every turn, the MDA has offered their help to nations in need.
Mr. Speaker, I applaud the International Red Cross for granting MDA
full membership, and I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this
resolution congratulating the Magen David Adom Society.
Mr. ACKERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of our time.
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time,
and I am proud to yield back the balance of
[[Page H5345]]
my time. It has been a pleasure working with my good friend, Mr.
Ackerman.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) that the House suspend the
rules and agree to the concurrent resolution, H. Con. Res. 435, as
amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor
thereof) the rules were suspended and the concurrent resolution, as
amended, was agreed to.
The title of the concurrent resolution was amended so as to read:
``Concurrent resolution congratulating Israel's Magen David Adom
Society for achieving full membership in the International Red Cross
and Red Crescent Federation, and for other purposes.''.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________