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The Red Cross is a symbol which under the Geneva conventions is to be placed on humanitarian and medical vehicles and buildings to protect them from military attack. The Red Cross flag is not to be confused with the St George cross which is the flag of England, Barcelona, Freiburg and several other places. The red cross of the St George cross extends to the edge of the flag, whereas the red cross on the Red Cross flag does not.
Originally only the Red Cross (being the flag of Switzerland reversed) was to be used as a symbol of the Geneva conventions, but Muslim nations (primarily the Ottoman Empire, later Turkey) objected to this, and as a result an additional symbol (the Red Crescent) was to be provided for. Later Persia (now Iran) managed to have a red lion and sun (the lion and sun being the symbol of Persia) added to the list of available symbols; though the symbol no longer being used by Iran has fallen into disuse in favour of the Red Crescent, Iran has in the past reserved the right to take it up again at any time.
Israel then requested the addition of a Red Star of DavidThe Star of David Magen David or Mogen David in Hebrew, Shield of David Solomon's Seal or Seal of Solomon is a generally recognized symbol of Judaism and Jewish identity. It is also known as the Jewish Star . With the establishment of the State of Israel, arguing that since ChristianChristian is: a follower of the faith of Christianity a popular first name and surname, especially in Northern Europe According to the New Testament, those who followed Jesus as his disciples were first called Christians by those who did not share their f and Muslim symbols were recognized the corresponding JewishJudaism is the religion and culture of the Jewish people and the first recorded monotheistic faith. The tenets and history of Judaism constitute the historical foundation of many other religions, including Christianity and Islam. Star of David, a common s symbol should be as well. This symbol is the one currently used by Magen David AdomThe Magen David Adom is Israel's only official emergency medical, disaster, ambulance and blood bank service. The name means "Red Star of David. Since its creation, Magen David Adom has been denied membership in the International Red Cross since it refuse, but it is not recognized under international humanitarian law.The Red Cross movement has rejected this Israeli request, reasoning that if Jews (or another group) were to be given another symbol, there would be no end to the number of religious or other groups claiming a symbol for themselves. That would detract from the original intention of the Red Cross symbol, which was to be a single symbol to mark vehicles and buildings protected on humanitarian grounds.
In response, the Red Cross movement is in the process of developing a new symbol, which will be without any religious connontations and also easily recognizable on the battlefield; As of 2004 the most likely candidate is a red lozengeA pullover with a lozenge pattern A lozenge is a parallelogram which usually has two corners pointing up and down that are farther apart than the corners pointing sideways. It is often used in parquetry and as decoration on ceramics, silverware, and texti or diamond on a white background. Once the Red Cross movement has adopted the symbol it will then be presented to the State Parties to the Geneva Conventions for amendment of the treaties. However, it will only complement and not replace the existing list of symbols.