Silly Israeli dhimmitude from Israel Insider, with thanks to K.:
Red Cross partner organizations of Israel and the Palestinian Authority have reached an understanding on a proposed new symbol that could help pave the way for the Jewish state’s entry into the Red Cross movement, officials said Friday.
The Israeli society known as the Magen David Adom, or Red Shield of David, will sign a deal with the Palestinian Red Crescent in Geneva on Monday securing acceptance of the “red crystal” – a new emblem the international aid agency is considering to recognize alongside the red cross and red crescent, the Swiss Foreign Ministry said.
The agreement will help pave the way for the acceptance of the new emblem by the 192 countries that have signed the Geneva Conventions on the conduct of warfare when they meet in special session Dec. 5-6 in Geneva, said the ministry, which is hosting the conference.
Israel has been denied membership in the humanitarian movement for nearly six decades because it rejects the red cross used in most countries and the red crescent preferred by Muslim countries. The Palestinian society only has observer status because it is not under the jurisdiction of a recognized state.
“The route is now open for the adoption of the ‘red crystal’,” Noam Iftah, president of Magen David Adom, said in an interview with the Geneva daily Le Temps. In return, he explained, the Magen David Adom would recognize the Palestinian group’s unique capacity to operate in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Instead of a red Star of David that the Israeli society uses to identify ambulances and medical workers at home, Israel has proposed that the Magen David Adom could use the new emblem to protect medics in armed combat. The new emblem is called a red crystal by its proponents.
It is a square standing on one corner, with a blank white interior and a thick red border.
“Here we have the chance to rectify an injustice that has gone on for too long,” said Itzhak Levanon, Israel’s ambassador to the U.N.’s European headquarters.
Sure. By groveling.