Red Crystal new emblem to protect medics

The Red Crystal will make its debut on Sunday as an additional emblem that can be used to protect relief workers in combat where the Red Cross or Red Crescent meet hostility, but it is unlikely to be widely displayed in the near future.

The emblem was designed as part of complicated, long-running negotiations to include Israel in the Red Cross movement without giving the red shield used by Magen David Adom – similar to the star on the Israeli flag – the same status as the cross and crescent, which have been used by medics on the battlefield for more than a century.

Some countries feared that adding the red star of David to the list of protective emblems would open the door to proliferation of such symbols and undermine the recognition that any emblem had to protect humanitarian workers.

However, Red Cross officials conceded today it will take time before the crystal, a red square frame standing on one corner, will be widely enough known that medics will be able to work under it on the battlefield without fear of being targeted by one side or the other.

“We have no indication at the moment that anybody is going to start using it” immediately, said Antonella Notari, chief spokeswoman of the International Committee of the Red Cross.

“It’s legally now a protective emblem, but there’s a lot of work to be done for it to be in reality and concretely a protective emblem because it needs to be known in the field and respected,” she told The Associated Press.

The treaty authorising the new symbol is entering into force six months after Switzerland and Norway became the first two countries to ratify the accord aimed at including Israel’s Magen David Adom society in the Red Cross movement. So far 84 countries have signed the treaty, and nine have ratified it.

Any national society in the international Red Cross movement will be able to use the crystal if it wants. Military medics for any country also will be able to display it instead of the cross or crescent. In combat the crystal is supposed to stand alone, but for fundraising and identification purposes at home a society such as the Israeli organisation could put its own emblem inside the frame.

The simple red cross on a white background – the reversal of colours of the Swiss flag – was adopted as the emblem of the movement when it was founded in 1863 by Swiss humanitarians trying to care for battlefield casualties who otherwise would have been left to suffer.

However, the symbol unintentionally reminded Muslims of the Christian crusaders, and they began using a red crescent in the 19th century.

When Israel’s society bid for membership in 1949, it objected to using either the cross or the crescent, but the Red Cross movement refused to admit the Israeli star.

The latest treaty is an addition to the Geneva Conventions, which have been ratified by 194 countries and set the world’s rules for the conduct of war.

Notari said the intent was to underscore the universality of the humanitarian movement and enhance its credibility as a neutral and independent.

“Ultimately, the goal is to improve protection for all those who need it, be they beneficiaries of humanitarian aid or persons striving to deliver it,” she said.