Intense Diplomatic Effort Led to Israeli Group Joining Red Cross Movement

The June decision to allow Magen David Adom, the Israeli equivalent of the Red Cross, to join the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement was the product of an intense year and a half diplomatic effort by the U.S. State Department working with the American Red Cross, reports The Washington Post.

For more than 50 years, the Israeli group had tried to join the movement, but had been repeatedly rejected.

In 2005, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made a renewed push for its membership during a relative calm between Israelis and Palestinians that ultimately led to the group’s inclusion.