This & That, Ceci et Cela

And why the Red Cross is now changing it’s official symbol partly because of this?

… “Red Cross officials hope approval of a third emblem will finally put an end to decades of controversy over the issue. At the moment, the only two emblems recognised under the Geneva conventions are the red cross and the red crescent; relief workers and ambulances bearing these symbols are protected under international law. In war zones or disaster regions, they must be granted free access to people in need of help.
Over the years, a number of countries have applied to have their own distinctive emblems recognised, but all have been refused. Francois Bugnion, director of international law with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), believes too many emblems could compromise protection.

“Hundreds of emblems would mean they would not be recognised, and so they would not be respected”, he explains. “They would be identified with different countries, so instead of conveying the message ‘this is an ambulance, this is neutral and must be respected’, it would be a sign of identification which would run against the objective of the protective symbol.”

One country in particular, however, refuses to use either the red cross or the red crescent. Israel’s Magen David Adom Society (MDA) uses the unrecognised red star of David as its emblem. As a result, the society is still not a member of the international Red Cross movement, something which many Israelis see as unjust“.

Unjust? How?? Why can’t you use the same symbol as everybody else???