Give me a link, I can't find any such, though I hoped things had changed. Here's what I found:
http://www.us-israel.org/jsource/Health/mda.html
Despite its valorous track record, the Magen David Adom Society is not recognized by the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. This is because it is unwilling to adopt the Red Cross or Red Crescent as its emblem, choosing rather to use the Red Shield of David, whose use in the field of humanitarian relief dates to 1930.
The symbol of the Red Cross, the inverted flag of Switzerland, does not have an inherent religious significance. However, when in 1929, Islamic states insisted on the inclusion of the emblem of the Red Crescent, the juxtaposed emblems of the Red Cross and the Red Crescent came to have a religious implication.
As a result, short of adopting either emblem, the Magen David Adom is excluded from membership to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
Since 1993, UN Watch has systematically lobbied the International Committee of the Red Cross and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies at their Geneva headquarters, as well as the American Red Cross, to urge them to admit the Magen David Adom to the international fraternity. Furthermore, the Chairman of UN Watch, Ambassador Morris Abram, is one of eighteen experts appointed by the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and charged with finding a favorable resolution to the emblem issue.
In times of conflict, the Red Shield of David has "customary" recognition as the emblem used by the medical services of the armed forces. Under international humanitarian law it must be respected in the same way as the Red Cross or the Red Crescent.
The humanitarian work carried out by the Magen David Adom and other National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies is too important to be enmeshed in politics. The Magen David Adom is an organization whose effectiveness, honor and integrity are globally recognized. The fact that its choice of emblem bans it from membership in the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies is untenable.
The ethical cornerstone of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a shared desire to ensure that civilization operates morally and compassionately, particularly during times of war. Israel, as much as any country, deserves to be included within that circle of civilization.
http://www.jewishsf.com/bk020104/us16.shtml
NEW YORK --With Muslim and European nations lobbying against its inclusion into the world's largest humanitarian organization, Israel's Magen David Adom is still far from becoming a member of the international Red Cross, said Avi Zohar, Magen David Adom's director, during a visit to the United States late last month.
With no end in sight to its 53-year exclusion from the International Committee of the Red Cross, the Israeli group is concentrating its energies on bilateral relations and cooperation with the American Red Cross, including efforts to prepare for unconventional weapons attacks and mass casualty incidents, said Zohar.
"It's the International Red Cross's privilege to have us in, more than it is our privilege to be there," said Zohar.
"We have many skills that could do a lot to help other countries," he said, citing emergency medical technician training courses for Palestinians and regional blood banks as programs the Israeli group would like to initiate. "For the Palestinians, it would be very useful to have us as a member," said Zohar.
Israel's request for membership in the Red Cross was rejected in 1949 by secret ballot at the Geneva Conventions, because of its choice of the red Star of David as an emblem. Since then, Muslim countries have lobbied for Israel's exclusion from the organization, and some have threatened to resign their membership if the Israeli organization were admitted.
In 1999, the American Red Cross began protesting Israel's exclusion by withholding $5 million in annual dues to the Geneva-based International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. The American Red Cross' dues make up 25 percent of the federation's budget, and Zohar noted that its actions have borne some fruit, though mostly symbolic rather than practical.
"Because of the active pressure of the ARC on the international movement, they are taking a lot of measures to demonstrate they are doing something" to explore Israel's inclusion, said Zohar.
Red Cross delegates from Europe visit Israel monthly "to show the Americans that they are taking steps to prepare for our admission" into the international Red Cross, said Zohar. At a convention in November, Magen David Adom's representative was seated alongside representatives from Red Cross member states for the first time.
Zohar also noted that the Israeli group is increasingly acting like a member organization, having participated in rescue and disaster relief operations in the past three years in Turkey, Kosovo, India, Ethiopia and Eritrea -- all nations with large Muslim populations.
Because of its exclusion, Magen David Adom is barred from all decision-making and influence within the Red Cross. When three Israel soldiers were kidnapped by Hezbollah in Lebanon last year, for example, had the Israeli group been a member, it could have pressed the Lebanese government much more effectively to allow local Red Cross officials to visit the soldiers, said Zohar.
Israel's inclusion, said Zohar, would be a message to those still seeking to destroy the Jewish state, that Israel is here to stay. "This symbol would be one more fact on the ground in the Middle East that would say Israel is admitted and recognized officially. It would mean we are here."
Among European nations, the British and Dutch Red Cross movements have begun to be more supportive of Israel's efforts toward inclusion, said Zohar.
Switzerland, France, and Belgium "are supporting the Muslim countries for political reasons," he said.
