The Red Crystal flag is the new politically (and religiously) neutral emblem approved by the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. This emblem clears a hurdle for the Magen David Adom to join the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Rationale
Because of the controversy over Israel's Magen David Adom and a number of other disputes, for a number of years the introduction of an additional neutral protection symbol has been under discussion, with the Red Crystal (previously referred to as the Red Lozenge or Red Diamond) being the most popular proposal. Other attempts include Sri Lanka (1957) and India (1977) who have tried to establish a Red Swastika and efforts by the national societies of Kazakhstan and Eritrea to use a unique combination of the Red Cross and the Red Crescent, similar to the combination of both symbols used by the national society of the Soviet Union until its demise. However, amending the Geneva Conventions to add a new protection symbol required a diplomatic conference of all 192 signatory states to the Conventions. The Swiss government organized such a conference which took place from December 5 to December 8, 2005, to adopt a third additional protocol to the Geneva Conventions introducing the Red Crystal as an additional symbol with equal status to the Red Cross or Red Crescent (Voted in on December 8, 2005, with 98 in favor, 27 opposed, and 10 abstentions - 57 were absent at the vote).
Usage
The emblem's official name is "the third Protocol emblem". The rules for the use of this symbol, based on the proposed third additional protocol to the Geneva Conventions, will be the following:
- Within its own national territory, a national society could use either of the recognized symbols alone, or incorporate any of these symbols or a combination of them into the Red Crystal. Furthermore, a national society can choose to display a previously and effectively used symbol, after officially communicating this symbol to the state parties of the Geneva Conventions through Switzerland as the depositary state prior to the adoption of the proposed third additional protocol.
- For indicative use on foreign territory, a national society which does not use one of the recognized symbols as its emblem would have to incorporate its unique symbol into the Red Crystal (known in vexillological terms as 'defacing the flag'), based on the previously mentioned condition about communicating its unique symbol to the state parties of the Geneva Conventions.
- For protective use, only the symbols recognized by the Geneva Conventions could be used. Specifically, those national societies which do not use one of the recognized symbols as their emblem would have to use the Red Crystal without incorporation of any additional symbol.
"Defaced" Red Crystal Flag Variants
