the fact is that MDA applied to join the ICRC in 1949 – that’s way before the six-day war, or the occupation, or any of the usual grounds that are brought up to single out israel for condemnations. back then it was the days of the full-blown arab boycott, when the stated position was “no compromise, no recognition”.

the ICRC, for reasons best known to itself (hah!) decided to cosy up to the outraged arabs. as it happened, it also didn’t appreciate it when investigations began to take place into its extensive role in helping nazi fugitives escape to south america. and it’s a swiss organisation – the same country which took all those nazi deposits of assets stolen from holocaust victims and then denied they existed.

hmmmm.

so, all in all, the ICRC has always had a kind of difficult relationship with israel.

it’s nice to see that it can all be sorted out without hysterics half a century later.

not.

b’shalom

bananabrain

Indic-buddhist swastikas can be clockwise or not, upright or slanted. it really does not matter. Btw the swastika is found other cultures beside asian, like in native american depictions.

Damn. That means the Hindus medics will just have to run standing up straight whilst running towards Jews. This may of course leave them vulnerable to being hit en route by the giant red penis, but I suppose that’s a risk you take in the roller-coaster world of multicultural war-zone healthcare.

Glad we got that cleared up.

Thanks for the shout on Points of Jew Leslie, I like the “rather brilliant” description!

Sonia, look again at who wrote the piece!

Robert the Hindu and Nazi swastikas are identical, other than the Nazi one being rotated 45 degrees. But not mirrored!

Robert (again) the Swiss flag has an unclear background, but yes two of the prevailing theories are that is has Christian origins. However that wasn’t the intended sentiment when the Red Cross was launched!

Exclamation mark!

Vikrant – I never said I was Sikh, and neither am I fully vegan (yet).

Another point of information: Am i right in thinking that the original Eastern Swastika has arms that point in a different direction to the Nazi variant? If so, then a wounded Jew can simply check the armbands for clockwise or anti-clockwise swastika, and instantly know whether the skinhead running towards them with a first-aid kit is a Buddhist monk or a neo-Nazi.

This of course doesn’t work if a Red Swastika Ambulance is zooming up behind your car, and you look at the symbol in your rear-view mirror.

I hope this clarifies things.

In any case, I presume the giant red penis idea would cause arguments over whether it was circumcised or not.

If someone came to help with a flag of a big red penis. I’d run.

By the way, I would like to make it clear that I will formally recognise the legitimacy of anyone with a white and red symbol who comes to attend to my bleeding, wounded body. Cross, Crescent, Star, Lozenge, Love-heat, whatever.

Fuck it, I’d take treatment off a person with a giant red penis on their arm. Which surely makes me more likely to survive than any of my more symbol conscious brothers and sisters.

The red fish