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The Red Crystal is a politically and religiously neutral emblem approved by the states party to the Geneva Conventions. The treaty known as Protocol additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and relating to the adoption of an additional distinctive emblem (Protocol III) was adopted on 8 December 2005 and authorizes the use of the Red Crystal by national societies.
The Red Crystal was created as a compromise to satisfy the desire of the Israeli humanitarian society, the Magen David Adom, or "Red Shield of David." As a result, the Magen David Adom is expected to join the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.
Rationale
Because of the controversy over the Magen David Adom (and a number of other disputes), for a number of years the introduction of an additional neutral protection symbol had been under discussion, with the Red Crystal being the most popular choice. Other proposals for additional emblems included those made by Sri Lanka in 1957 and India in 1977, which tried to establish a Red Swastika, and by the national societies of Kazakhstan and Eritrea which involved a combination of the Red Cross and the Red Crescent similar to the combination of both symbols * used by the national society of the USSR until its demise.
The problem was that adding a new protection symbol alongside those authorized under the Geneva Conventions required the convening of a diplomatic conference of all 192 signatory states. The Swiss government, in its capacity as depositary of the Conventions, organized such a conference, which took place from 5 December to 8 December 2005 and adopted the Red Crystal as an additional emblem having equal status with the Red Cross and Red Crescent. The emblem was voted in on 8 December 2005, with the vote count being 98 in favor, 27 opposed, and 10 abstentions—57 States were absent at the vote. Other than Cuba, North Korea and China, most of the dissent against the use of the Red Crystal symbol came from Arab and Muslim states, which felt that the entry of the Israeli society would be a form of de facto diplomatic recognition.*.
The Red Crystal icon was designated as a "symbol of all nations," and thus one without any specific religious, cultural, or ethnic relevance that could prove divisive, but in practice, it was expected that only Israelis would be required to use it. The Israeli press criticized the adoption of the Red Crystal by the Magen David Adom as anti-patriotic.
Usage
The emblem's official name is the "third Protocol emblem". The rules for the use of this symbol, set out in Protocol III additional to the Geneva Conventions, are the following:
- Within its own national territory, a national society may use any one of the recognized symbols alone, or incorporate any of these symbols or a combination of them into the Red Crystal. Furthermore, a national society may choose to display a previously and effectively used symbol, after officially communicating this symbol to the states party to the Geneva Conventions through Switzerland as the depositary state prior to the adoption of Protocol III.
- For indicative use on foreign territory, a national society which does not use one of the recognized symbols as its emblem must 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 states party to the Geneva Conventions.
- For protective use, only the symbols recognized by the Geneva Conventions may be used. Specifically, those national societies which do not use one of the recognized symbols as their emblem must use the Red Crystal without incorporation of any additional symbol.
Red Crystal emblem variants
Red Cross | Geneva Conventions | Symbols
Έμβλημα Κόκκινου Κρυστάλλου | بلور سرخ | Reda Kristalo flago | דגל המעוין האדום | Bandeira do Diamante Vermelho | Красный Кристалл
"Red Crystal"