The Unmasking of the Red Cross

One of the voices commanding the most media attention during the recent Israeli military action in Gaza was that of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Founded in 1863 and respected as the world’s foremost humanitarian agency the Red Cross has won three separate Nobel Peace Prizes for its service to victims of warfare and natural disasters around the world. The organization’s stated policy of neutrality has gained it entry into war-torn regions and politically sensitive areas that are off limits to all other outsiders.

But this powerful humanitarian organization has fallen far short of its ideals in the Middle East. The ICRC’s rush to judgment against Israel during its offensive in Gaza as well as its one-sided anti-Israel rhetoric during previous Middle East flare-ups has robbed the organization of any claim to impartiality.

The Red Cross has never protested the abduction and ongoing captivity of IDF soldier Gilad (ben Aviva) Schalit or Hamas’ refusal to allow Red Cross personnel to visit the hostage as is customary and required by international law. The ICRC’s silence in the Schalit case is consistent with the group’s silence in the face of Hamas’ relentless missile and rocket barrages against Israeli towns including the use of women and children as “human shields” massacres of Palestinians suspected of “collaborating” with Israel and other Hamas atrocities.

At the same time the Red Cross routinely condemns Israel for “violations of international law” revealing an ugly double standard. Red Cross pronouncements slamming Israel for refusing to allow relief workers into Gaza to rescue people trapped in the battle zone dominated the headlines during Operation Cast Lead. Geneva-based Red Cross leaders Jakob Kellenberger and Pierre Wettach scornfully dismissed Israel’s response that the IDF was forced to bar ambulances during military operations and that it tried its utmost to avoid hitting civilians.