MDA symbol on ambulances in Yesha still unresolved

The dispute regarding the alleged removal of the recognizable red Star of David emblem, which represents the Magen David Adom (MDA) first aid organization, from ambulances operating in Judea and Samaria, remains unresolved. During the summer, Israeli media reported that the traditional MDA logo on ambulances in Judea and Samaria had been replaced by a white, six-pointed star enclosed in a red circle. Dani Dayan, Chairman of the Yesha (Judea and Samaria) Council, accused Israel’s primary emergency medical service of succumbing to political pressure, a claim that MDA refuted. Dayan, who initially expressed his views in a column for the Jerusalem Post, stated that the motive behind the change was evidently political. When approached by the Jewish Tribune for an update, Dayan mentioned that he is currently attempting to resolve the matter discreetly rather than engaging with the media.

Yonatan Yagodovsky, director of MDA’s fundraising department, stated in a telephone interview with the Tribune: “There is no issue to be resolved. MDA will maintain the use of its emblem and logo, as no one has ever requested us to remove it – not now, not in 2006 when we were accepted into the International Red Cross, and not before that.”

Hicham Hassan, the International Committee of the Red Cross’s (ICRC’s) public relations officer for the Near and Middle East, informed the Tribune via email:

“The ICRC has been made aware of MDA’s decision. The ICRC is not involved in MDA’s decisions regarding the marking of its ambulances and has not made any requests to remove the emblem. The ICRC continues to support MDA in their efforts to provide medical assistance and humanitarian services to those in need.”

According to the records of MDA, the international organization had been reluctant to accept MDA due to its logo for many years.

MDA and the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Geneva in 2005, prior to Israel’s admission into the ICRC in 2006. It was decided that Israeli ambulances operating outside the country could display a new symbol: the red crystal – a red square frame tilted at a 45-degree angle, with or without a Star of David. MDA was allowed to keep its traditional symbol on ambulances within Israel.

“MDA operates ambulances in our stations throughout the country, including Judea and Samaria,” Yagodovsky explained. “All the ambulances from MDA stations display the MDA logo without any alterations. Generally, there are ambulances that are nearing the end of their service life; we refer to them as senior ambulances. These have been in operation for five or six years and operate both inside and outside the Green Line…. As these ambulances are operated by local councils and their teams, they are not considered MDA ambulances. Therefore, we have opted to distinguish them in a different manner.”