JERUSALEM, Oct 31 (Reuters) - Israel said on Monday that it expects its Magen David Adom (Star of David) ambulance service to be recognised by the International Committee of the Red Cross by year's end, ending a decades-old dispute over the exclusion.

Switzerland will convene an international conference by December to consider adopting a third, non-denominational emblem for the Geneva-based Red Cross movement, which currently recognises only the cross and the crescent as symbols.

Israel's Foreign Ministry said it had received assurances from Switzerland that it would push through the resolution, allowing for Magen David Adom's admission alongside its counterpart in Muslim lands, the Red Crescent. "They (the Swiss) have the ability to bring about changes," ministry spokesman Mark Regev said. "That will allow Magen David Adom to finally become a full member of the Red Cross."

"We are sure after following the issue closely that there will be a clear and solid majority in our favour," he said.

There was no immediate comment from Swiss officials or the Red Cross movement. The decision to hold the conference reflected an improvement in Arab-Israeli relations resulting from Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, completed last month, diplomats said.

The Swiss had been on the verge of holding a similar meeting in late 2000, but dropped the idea amid Arab opposition when a Palestinian uprising erupted in the occupied West Bank and Gaza.

The red cross on a white background was adopted as a neutral protective emblem by the first Geneva Convention in 1864, reversing the colours of the Swiss flag in tribute to the country where the movement was started.

Historians disagree whether the cross on the Swiss flag was originally a symbol of Christianity or an adaptation of a regional battle banner.

The red crescent was first used as a protection symbol in 1876. It was officially recognised under a Geneva Convention in 1929, which states that no new symbols will be recognised.

The refusal to accept MDA as a voting member has financial consequences for the secretariat in Geneva. At one point, the American Red Cross withheld $5 million in annual membership dues to the International Federation of the Red Cross in protest.

"From our point of view, this is an injustice that has been going on for too long," Regev said. The proposed third emblem would take the form of a red diamond-shaped crystal, which has no religious connotations. Its adoption would need to be enshrined in a new protocol to the Geneva Conventions.

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