[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 11]
[House]
[Pages 14839-14843]
[From the U.S. 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 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

[[Page 14840]]

     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 Red 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.
  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 
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 could we 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.

[[Page 14841]]

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.
  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

[[Page 14842]]

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. EMANUEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H. Con. 
Res. 435, congratulating the Magen David Adorn Society on its admission 
as a full member into the International Red Cross and Red Crescent 
Movement.
  The Magen David Adom Society has a long and distinguished history of 
providing humanitarian assistance. Founded in 1930, this remarkable 
organization has provided first aid and disaster assistance to all of 
those in need, and has functioned as Israel's National Red Cross 
Society for over half a century.
  Primarily a volunteer organization, the MDA provides aid to nearly 
600,000 Israeli citizens each year and supplies 98% of Israel's 
domestic blood services. The MDA has also been deeply involved in 
providing assistance to international crises including the recent 
flooding in Romania and the aftermath of the Southeast Asian Tsunami.
  Mr. Speaker, I applaud the ICRC's decision to include the Magen David 
Adom Society on its membership and commend the MDA on its continuing 
contributions to the welfare of so many.
  Mr. WAXMAN. Mr. Speaker, I join my colleagues in congratulating Magen 
David Adom, Israel's national emergency medical service, as a fully 
admitted and recognized member of the International Red Cross and Red 
Crescent Movement. This 60-year effort to win membership for Israel's 
humanitarian society solely on the basis the MDA uses the Star of David 
as its symbol.
  Since its founding in 1930, MDA has been a leading participant in 
international humanitarian relief efforts and in training and 
instruction in emergency services techniques. Regrettably, the 
organization has been denied full membership in the International 
Committee for the Red Cross, ICRC, because of anti-Israel bias among 
countries that refuse to recognize the State of Israel or the symbol of 
the Star of David. This political discrimination is in direct violation 
of the ICRC principle of maintaining neutrality and impartiality in 
conflicts.
  MDA has been a committed humanitarian society embodying all the goals 
and ideals of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. MDA has been an 
impartial force in the international community helping victims all over 
the world after the Southeast Asian tsunami, Hurricane Katrina, 
disastrous flooding of the River Danube in Romania, even helping those 
considered enemies of Israel. But for 60 years, Israel was denied 
membership. There was no good reason for MDA to be forced to wait this 
long to be a member of ICRC when their efforts are solely humanitarian 
and separate from the decades-old political conflict existing in the 
Middle East.
  The process of International recognition has been a long and arduous 
process tainted by discrimination allowing politics to outweigh the 
humanitarian objectives of the MDA. A diplomatic conference in Geneva 
in December 2005 was a significant step in the process of enabling MDA 
to finally become a full member in the International Committee of the 
Red

[[Page 14843]]

Cross. On December 8, 2005 the signatory countries to the Geneva 
Conventions approved a Third Additional Protocol establishing a new 
neutral Red Crystal emblem by a vote of 98 in favor, 27 against, with 
10 abstentions. After all these years, the Syrian delegation still 
tried to stall the vote, but in the end was unable to prevent the 
adoption of the Third Protocol.
  I am pleased that this longstanding injustice has been rectified and 
MDA is permitted to conduct international humanitarian operations under 
a third neutral symbol. We should not allow decades old disputes and 
larger, unrelated political problems in the Middle East to impede the 
work of Israel's humanitarian aid society.
  I also take this time to applaud the efforts of U.S. diplomats and 
American organizations for bringing the issue of MDA's exclusion from 
the ICRC to the focus of the international community. Without U.S. 
leadership on this important issue and the pressure that both our 
leaders and the American Red Cross put on the ICRC, this wrong that has 
existed since Israel's founding would not have been redressed. Our 
country understood that we should not allow politics to prevail over 
humanitarian efforts in any country no matter what the political 
climate or religious beliefs are. I also thank the American Red Cross 
for its continued support to help open the channels for MDA's 
acceptance in the ICRC. I fully support the decision of the American 
Red Cross, since 2000, to protest the exclusion of MDA by withholding 
$42 million in annual dues from ICRC. Finally, I would like to thank 
Hadassah, the Women's Zionist Organization of America, for its efforts 
lobbying Congress and working with the U.N. and the American Red Cross 
in support of MDA.
  MDA should never have been linked to the fate of the Israeli-
Palestinian conflict and with the adoption of a third neutral symbol 
will be able to fulfill its humanitarian mission. The adoption of a 
neutral symbol is a celebration that humanitarian principles have 
triumphed above politics and bigotry.
  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 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.

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