Shavuah Tov! Crosses, Crescents, and Crystals...Oy Vey!

I was doing my Shabbas stroll through the blogosphere and saw a story posted at Maggie's Notebook that I find to be highly ironic. From the nation that brought you the appeasement of Adolph Hitler and German National Socialism comes this latest round of weak-mindedness.

Always on the quest to find new and exciting ways to please, appease, placate, and accommodate their Islamic masters, members of the British Parliament are debating removing the red cross, symbol of the American Red Cross, and Co-symbol of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) because of it invoking symbols of the Crusades, and thus pissing off Muslims. What is ironic is that this is not the first time such a controversy has surrounded the ICRC. This of course involved the people everyone loves to hate: the Jews.

For years the ICRC refused to admit Magen David Adom, Israel's version of the Red Cross. Magen David Adom's symbol is its name: a red Star of David (the Star of David was first submitted for ICRC approval in 1931). Apparently the use of this symbol is a violation of the 1949 Geneva Conventions which state that member national societies of the ICRC must conform to the "Ten Conditions for Recognition." One of these conditions is that they must, "Use the name and emblem of the Red Cross or Red Crescent in conformity with the Geneva Conventions."

For fifty years the ICRC insisted that the use of the Magen David disqualified the Jewish organization from even being recognized as a national society. Talk about cutting off your nose to spite your face. MDA, being an Israeli based organization, has access to what is widely considered to be the most advanced medical facilities and technologies on the planet, which MDA freely uses to treat everyone, regardless of their nationality or ethnicity.

In order to pave the way for MDA to be accepted the ICRC, with a lot of arm twisting, passed the so-called Third Protocol that created a neutral symbol, the "red crystal" which would be used by national societies operating in other countries that do not use the cross or crescent like Israel and Eritrea. Under this protocol MDA was finally accepted into the ICRC in June of 2006. Two hundred thirty-seven countries voted to admit MDA, while 54 voted against. There were 18 abstentions. Naturally the Arab and Muslim countries fought tooth and nail against this, rejecting every compromise proposal that was made.

From left to right: The Magen David Adom used in Israel; the so-called "Red Crystal"; The new international symbol for MDA in countries that don't hate Jews

In 2006, Abraham Foxman wrote an excellent essay on MDA's acceptance to the ICRC that began this way:

Since the founding of the Jewish state, there has been one undeniable and sad fact surrounding Israel's existence. Aside from the five wars that have threatened its borders and the horrific campaign of suicide bombings and terrorist attacks that have tested its resolve and strength, there has always been an equally insidious, yet quieter movement afoot to undermine and de-legitimize the Jewish state.

This relentless campaign is waged not through rockets and bombs, but through hundreds of deliberate acts of omission, large and small, in international fora. The Arab boycott was one manifestation of this orchestrated attempt to isolate the state of Israel. Yet, through the years there have been countless other insults and exclusions, from Israeli athletes being forbidden from participating in sporting events, to maps showing only "Palestine," to travel prohibitions for Israeli citizens in Muslim countries, and professional boycotts.

And, as if we needed a reminder as to our unique status in the world, the official recognition of the Holocaust by the United Nations, sixty years after the fact, demonstrated again the hurdles thrown up by those anti-Semitic and anti-Israel forces intent on discrediting, degrading, and discriminating against the Jewish state and people.

With this bleak backdrop of history, there was much to celebrate in the decision by the International Committee of the Red Cross to finally recognize and admit Israel's emergency services and first-aid organization, the Magen David Adom, as a full member after more than 56 years of exclusion from this important international humanitarian body.

You can read the rest here.

Now British parliamentarians like Labor MK Chris Bryant want to remove the original symbol of the ICRC, a symbol that was jointly sanctified decades ago, and one that Red Crescent apparently had no problem with. Why? Since it's not because the red cross offends the Red Crescent member societies of the ICRC, it must be out of fear of their growing Muslim population. I contend that it is an admission of their fear; a fear they deal with by embracing appeasement in the hopes that Muslims in Britain don't go jihadi on their ass, rather than moving to protect the rights of all Britains to live without fear.

Here's a little reminder to the stupid idiots in Parliament as to what happens when you appease a scorpion in your midst:

Minister Bryant, how is it that your nation achieved mastery of the seas, and established the farthest ranging empire since Alexander the Great? Surely it was not by being completely fucking stupid. But perhaps this is karma for all the harm the empire caused. How many Jews died in Nazi gas chambers because of Britain's policy of preventing Jewish immigration to Mandate Palestine during World War II? How people died at British hands in lands held by the Crown? You have no idea. Now you live in fear of the very people who have fought unceasingly for Israel's destruction for 61 years. But still Javier Solana calls for the undermining of Israel at Europe's peril.

You just don't get it. Chamberlain didn't spare Europe the Nazi war machine. Sticking out Israel's neck for the jihadist knife will not spare you either. Strengthening, supporting, and standing with Israel against Iran, Hizbullah, Hamas, and Fatah however, will. Of course, the manifest Jew hate that permeates parts of British society isn't helping you either. Well, stupid is as stupid does.