Michael Georges Jbaily

Dear all friends: this is a letter sent to the International Red Cross Director General and to all people of conscience, on behalf of the Lebanese Red Cross- Zahle Branch (Code: 301)

This letter includes the final information about the Red Cross volunteer's last moments before being killed.

Michael Georges Jbaily was a great friend of mine and of many many others.

He is the kind of typical Martyr: he died to save others, not to kill others and was fully aware of the great sacrifice he was offering for this matter.

It would be a great recognition for his heroism, so ignored nowadays, if you make your best to publish his story. (Please communicate it to as many News Papers or if you can't, please forward it to as many people as you can)

Dear ICRC Director General

I hope this finds you in good health.

First of all, let me please send you the warm greetings of a deeply injured Lebanon, but still able to afford the love so badly needed by our ill world.

The reconstruction started right after the cease fire. Actually it started long before: every time a bridge was bombed and the electricity damaged, the responsible people rushed to the scene to create a new temporary road and to fix the cables.

Many well-to-do Lebanese people have taken the responsibility to reconstruct almost half the country's bridges.

Dear Mr. Director General. My heart is burdened with great pain. It has been quiet sometime since I enjoyed a real peace of heart and ability to do effective assistance on the ground. My heart is screaming to a person as knowledgeable as you are, to help me find an answer to a burning question:

You may have received my recent e-mail about the Red Cross volunteer who was killed in the last round of bombing beside Zahle.

Even if Lebanon was going through war, where all possibilities can take place, I ask you and beg you to pay attention to the circumstances of his death, for it will definitely and deeply affect the work of the Lebanese Red Cross from now on.

Michael was not killed by mistake, by a flying object, after a rocket was dropped on a building, a road or a bridge. Michael was not killed while running adventurously between bombs to seek heroism.

Michael was accompanying a convoy of 1000 refugee's cars coming from the South of Lebanon (The Christian town of Marjeyoon) after their town was occupied by the Israeli army. He wouldn't take this risk without having absolute confirmation of security from the UNIFEL who negotiated with the Israeli army. Michael comes from a family from extremely limited resources, and who suffered deeply during the Syrian bombing over Zahle in 1981 by the death of family members. Michael has now 2 very young boys (Nicolas: 4 years old, Charbel: 3 months old) of his own and dreamt of a great future for both of them. The last thing he said, 1 second before the deflagration throw him away: "Oh God, don't let anything take me away from my family".

When the convoy reached the Bekaa (Kefraya village), 15 Kilometers away from Zahle, the Israeli planes started bombing the convoy. The Red Cross cars were at the Beginning, the Middle and the End of the big convoy. Michael's car was in the front.

All the volunteers and civilians rushed to the neighboring buildings and took shelter there until there was complete silence again. 7 rockets had been dropped directly at civilian cars and caused the death of 7 and the injury of 36.

The Red Cross volunteers started rescuing the civilians, in the middle of a great shock because they were secured and given a word: that the convoy will not be harmed.

Michael insisted to rescue the last person who was obviously in great pain due a deep leg injury.

Michael's friends then started yelling towards him to "leave the patient and run to the building, because the planes are back". But Michael simply and insistently refused to leave a person in pain, in greater danger to run for his own life. He continued his way, put the man inside the ambulance and ran towards his friends who were still yelling.

The plane who aimed at Michael (who was wearing a Red Cross overall with a Red Helmet on the Head and was exactly between 4 Red Cross Vans with the blue sirens on) is an MK plane equipped with 6 cameras and could see the insects as clearly as a clean mirror.

The MK flew near Michael and dropped a rocket at him, The Rocket was enough to throw him a few meters away and to cause him immediate death after a sharp object injured his head.

This is clearly an intentional crime against a Red Cross volunteer who shook the watcher by his courage. This is clearly a crime committed against the Red Cross organization, the Red Cross volunteers, the Red Cross spirit, the Red Cross will. This is a clear violation of the Geneva conventions. This is a disrespect of the Red Cross principles!!!

We demand, in the name a family in great pain, a Red Cross team of volunteers in great shock (where many of our friends and family members are volunteers), that the clarification and the distribution that this story deserves is done!

What does the international Red Cross do in such a dangerous matter?

We are not asking for a material make over. Even if this can be important for his children's future, what's badly needed now is recognition and justice.

I leave this to your precious attention and wise judgment. As I deeply trust your human sense, I eagerly wait for any sign or clarification from your side.

Yours, sincerely

Wadiaa Khoury

First response of the Ex. ICRC Director General:

Mr. Cornelio Sommaruga

Thank you Dear Madame El-Khoury! I indeed was shocked by your messages and would like to express my warm compassion and solidarity. Something will really have to be done by the ICRC. As you know I am no more in the Organization and cannot speak for them. I already sent your first message to the ICRC Director General and will do the same with your present message.

Let us pray for Michael and the family he left. I am sure that the Lebanese Red Cross will be able to overcome also this horrible war crime, violating the basic principles of the Geneva Conventions.

Please receive my friendly regards.

Cornelio Sommaruga

P.S: If you can publish Michael's story in a News Paper, please inform me on wadiaakhoury@hotmail.com so that I send you his photos.

It would be a great compensation for his family to see that people around the world understand the reality of such crimes done in the name of "Fighting the Hizbollah" while the vast majority of the 1200 victims have absolutely nothing to do with the Hizbollah and are hurt by both Israel and Hizbollah.

And try to send the potential articles scanned as soon as possible, so that we add them to a booklet about Michael's life spent in consecutive sacrifices. The booklet will be distributed during Michael's 40 days memorial in the third Sunday of September.

Wadiaa Khoury