Congratulating Israel's Magen David Adom Society for achieving full membership in the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Federation, and for other purposes.

Let me thank my friend from New York (Mr. Ackerman) for his leadership on many of these issues.

Mr. Speaker, this is an important moment. We have been working now, many have been working now, for almost 60 years to bring this date together. The Magen David Adom Society, like the Red Cross and Red Crescent Society, provides unbiased aid, regardless of whom is in need.

Mr. Speaker, when tragedies occur, it is a welcome sight to see the internationally recognized symbol of help. It has been true in all countries where members have been part of the Red Cross and Red Crescent movement, but Israel was denied that membership.

For reasons unrelated to its society that provided that help, the MDA provided unbiased help to all in need and was entitled to be recognized internationally. It has taken almost 60 years to achieve this moment, and I think it is very appropriate that we, in this body, recognize this moment and the role that the United States has played in making this happen.

But for the leadership of our country in support of the MDA in Israel, we would not be able to celebrate this moment, and victims of disasters would be the losers. I congratulate all involved. I urge my colleagues to support the resolution.

I rise today in strong support as an original co-sponsor of H. Con. Res. 435, which congratulates Israel's Magen David Adom Society for achieving full membership in the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.

Since its founding in 1859, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement have helped millions of people in need through its dedication to providing impartial and compassionate aid to victims of war, internal violence, and disaster, regardless of political or religious affiliation. For over 140 years, the Movement has been the world's leader in humanitarian aid.

In Israel, the Magen David Adom (MDA) Society has upheld these same goals, providing impartial aid to those in need. As a committed humanitarian organization, MDA has been a model of excellence, embodying the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement's goals of humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity, and universality.

Unfortunately, the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement has for decades rejected the MDA's full admittance into the Organization because of the MDA's refusal to use the accepted symbols of a cross or crescent.

It has taken decades of discussion to reach a compromise, but one comes to us now in the form of a diamond. The red crystal will soon fly high--a beacon of hope to all who see it.

Since its founding in 1930, the MDA has proven its quality time and again through its rapid response to war areas and to natural disasters such as the earthquakes and tsunami, as well as through its compassionate treatment of civilian victims and injured perpetrators of horrific acts of violence alike. The MDA, like all Red Cross and Red Crescent societies, provides unbiased aid, regardless of who is in need. For this they are at last being recognized through full membership in the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement--a classification they have long since deserved.

The MDA has fought for this designation since 1949, but until now has been perpetually relegated to observer status due solely to its use of the Shield of David as their symbol. The American Red Cross, the U.S. Government, and Congress have never wavered in their pressure for this positive outcome, and I am thrilled that now the MDA will benefit from full membership in the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement--benefits that will then be passed on to the millions of victims that the Organization helps.

This solidarity on behalf of impartial humanitarian aid is especially commendable given the current climate in the Middle East. In a moment in history when the region hovers on the brink of war, the internationally-recognized symbols of help and compassion are a welcome sight on all fronts, reminding us all of the dignity of life and the necessity of compromise and compassion. The union of the MDA and the Red Cross and Crescent Movement represents a movement towards cooperation and consideration, and encourages hope in a time when such hope is so desperately needed.

I urge my colleagues to pass this resolution to celebrate a new symbol of hope on the Israeli landscape, and to congratulate the Magen David Adom Society for at last achieving the recognition it has long deserved.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution, and yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the chairman and ranking member for their assistance in getting this resolution through the committee, and especially note the hard work and determination of my colleague, the chairperson of the subcommittee, Ms. Ros-Lehtinen of Florida. Their support is deeply appreciated.

Mr. Speaker, there are very, very few issues that are really just black and white, where there are good guys and there are bad guys. This struggle, the 60-year effort to win membership for Israel's humanitarian society, the Magen David Adom, Israel's Blue Shield of David, into the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, has been such an enterprise.

Like all of my colleagues speaking in support of this resolution, I am honored to have been part of that struggle, and am deeply gratified by the clear, indeed overwhelming victory MDA won last month in Geneva. It is a triumph where humanitarian principles overranked politics and bigotry.

It is a triumph for the State of Israel and the Jewish people. It is a triumph for patient, cooperative, multilateral diplomacy and especially American leadership. The victory of MDA really illustrates how important American leadership is, and what this Nation can accomplish with determination, tenacity, and a commitment to holding and protecting the moral high ground in international debate.

There never was a good argument against MDA. And with that fact came the moral strength and clarity. And with that strength and clarity came this hard-won victory.

As Dr. Martin Luther King liked to say, the arc of the universe is long, but it bends towards justice. A lot of people earned a share of the success that occurred in Geneva. Many of us in the House wrote letters, spoke directly with the Red Cross officials in Europe and with officials within the administration to let them know that Congress backed them 100 percent.

All we asked in return was, What more we could do to help? Credit is also due to America's diplomats and to America's humanitarians. Secretary Rice's State Department showed again what a force American diplomacy can be in a righteous cause.

And the American Red Cross, the American Red Cross alone in the entire world drew a line in the sand, withholding $45 million in dues to the Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies until the MDA won equal treatment. Only the American Red Cross was willing to put its money where its mouth was and to insist that international humanitarian law should not, could not, and now thankfully cannot be used as a tool of discrimination against Israel.

This resolution congratulates Israel on the Magen David Adom Society, which is facing a terrible trial right now, with terrorist rockets falling both in northern and southern Israel. Our thoughts and prayers are with them both. The Magen David Adom stands for everything Hezbollah and Hamas reject, the independence of Israel as a sovereign Jewish state, equal treatment and protection for all people, regardless of their faith, and the belief that there are standards of behavior beyond the realm of political convenience, and above all, the value of life over death.

Mr. Speaker, in the business of international politics and diplomacy, clear-cut triumphs are few and far between. I am thrilled to be able to celebrate with you today what a bipartisan, bicameral, cross-branch, multinational, public-private effort can do.

But what we are here to celebrate principally is a high moral triumph. I want to thank all of those who helped bring us to this great day and to the Magen David Adom, I say yasher koach, and congratulations on this well-deserved and long-overdue victory.

I urge all of my colleagues to support this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2\1/4\ minutes to the gentlewoman from Nevada (Ms. Berkley) and thank her for her leadership in this effort as well.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the distinguished gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel), who has been one of the paramount leaders in this fight.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the very distinguished gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cardin) and thank him not just for his leadership but for his life-long commitment.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of our time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 435) congratulating Israel's Magen David Adom Society for achieving full membership in the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of House Concurrent Resolution 435, congratulating Israel's Magen David Adom Society for achieving full membership in the International Red Cross and the Red Crescent Movement.

On June 22, the Society was recognized by the International Committee of the Red Cross and admitted as a full member into the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.

The Society's attaining full membership in the International Red Cross and the Red Crescent Movement is a significant achievement, as it marks an end to Israel's almost 60-year-old isolation from the international human rights assistance community.

Since 1949, the Society has been refused admission into the International Red Cross and the Red Crescent Movement simply due to the fact that they used the Red Shield of David as its symbol. For years, the Society has worked closely with the International Red Cross bringing emergency relief to victims of hurricanes, earthquakes, and floods around the globe.

It has brought its medical services and cutting-edge technology to provide assistance to disasters, such as Katrina in the U.S. Gulf Coast, tsunami relief in southeast Asia, and the flooding in Romania. This resolution commends the Magen David Adom Society for its distinguished record of humanitarian service and congratulates this organization for achieving full membership in the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.

The resolution before us thanks the President and the Secretary of State for their tireless efforts toward this goal, and for submitting to the Senate the third additional protocol for the Geneva Convention.

The resolution also expresses appreciation to the American Red Cross for its insistence that the goals of the International Red Cross and the Red Crescent Movement could not be credibly accomplished if Magen David Adom was excluded.

Lastly, this measure thanks the Government of Switzerland and the International Committee of the Red Cross for paving the way for Israel's full inclusion into the international humanitarian assistance community.

I would like to extend my personal congratulations to the Magen David Adom for the remarkable job that it has done for years in saving the lives around the globe and for this landmark achievement.

I want to give a personal congratulations to my ranking member on the Middle East and Central Asia Subcommittee, Mr. Ackerman, who is the author and the chief sponsor of this resolution. This is a subject with which he has been intimately involved in a number of years, and it is thanks in large part to his participation in this effort that we have finally brought this organization on board. Congratulations.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I am proud to yield back the balance of

my time. It has been a pleasure working with my good friend, Mr. Ackerman.

Thank you very much, coming from you, who truly was a leader in this issue. I appreciate the recognition and do not deserve it.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the resolution and ask for its immediate passage. Since its establishment in 1930, Magen David Adom, or MDA, has been denied membership in the International Committee of the Red Cross for refusing to replace its red Star of David emblem with one of the approved symbols.

For nearly 60 years, the International Red Cross refused to admit MDA unless it adopted the red cross or the red crescent as its symbol. This past December, a third additional emblem, the red diamond, was finally established. It is about time.

Since 1949, the Magen David Adom Society was the only national organization denied full membership in the International Red Cross and Red Crescent movement. It was denied full membership simply because it used a red star instead of a red cross or a red crescent.

It should not have taken 60 years for an honest discussion of MDA membership in the Red Cross, free from religious intolerance or bigotry. During that time, the American Red Cross stood alone as the only member of the International Red Cross to protest the exclusion of the MDA.

In those 60 years, in spite of the official slight, MDA has performed heroically, aiding those in need and providing humanitarian assistance. It has done this without regard for race or religion. It did this to help alleviate pain and suffering throughout the world, even among Israel's enemies.

In April of this year, MDA was in Romania assisting the local population after the disastrous flooding of the Danube. After Hurricane Katrina, MDA collected donations, clothing and equipment in Israel to help meet the needs of the hundreds of thousands of homeless.

Last month, the state party to the Geneva convention adopted the neutral red diamond symbol of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement finally accepted MDA as a full member. May I say it's about time.

I join my colleagues in congratulating MDA on its admittance to the Red Cross. While this should have happened 60 years ago, we are glad that MDA has been given the recognition that it has always deserved.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the Magen David Adom (MDA) Society for securing full membership in the International Red Cross.

For many years the Magen David Adom Society was denied the right to join the International Red Cross. The Red Cross informed them that they could not use the Star of David, a symbol integral to their identity as the first aid and disaster relief organization of the Jewish State. The International Red Cross informed them that in order to join they would have to abandon their symbol and take on a symbol like the Christian cross or Moslem red crescent.

Standing fast to their principles, they continued to use the Star of David as their symbol as they dedicated themselves to excellence and rose as one of the premier ambulatory organizations in the world. In addition to their extensive record in providing aid to those in need all throughout Israel, they have excelled through their contributions to medical relief efforts throughout the world. The United States owes a great debt to MDA's assistance during the Hurricane Katrina disaster where they used their expertise and state-of-the-art technology to save the lives of countless Americans. Their relief work abroad is extensive, including their recent disaster relief work in Turkey, Sri Lanka, and Romania.

In light of the MDA's role as a leader in the field, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice diligently worked with our allies abroad to allow MDA to join the International Red Cross. Through her work and the efforts of countless others, Israel's medical society has finally been admitted to the International Red Cross when a neutral symbol, the Red Diamond, was accepted as an alternative symbol. Israel is now free to use the Star of David within a diamond as their international insignia as a full-fledged member of the International Red Cross. This alliance between the Magen David Adom Society and the International Committee of the Red Cross is truly a monumental step for all humanitarian efforts and hopefully can serve as a model of international goodwill.