The Santa Fe County Board of Commissioners in New Mexico passed a CEASEFIRE resolution on April 30, 2024
A RESOLUTION TO CALL FOR A PERMANENT CEASEFIRE, RELEASE OF ALL HOSTAGES, DELIVERY OF HUMANITARIAN AID, AND AFFIRMATION OF OPPOSITION TO ANTI-SEMITISM AND ISLAMOPHOBIA IN THE GAZA STRIP
Introduced by:
Commissioner Anna Hansen and Commissioner Camilla Bustamante
WHEREAS, Santa Fe County is home to people of diverse nationalities, ethnicities, and faiths for whom the current conflict in the Middle East has a real and personal impact; and
WHEREAS, all human life is precious, and all people, both in the County and abroad, have a right to be respected and feel safe; and
WHEREAS, on October 7, 2023, an act of terror was perpetrated by Hamas and other armed groups, resulting in the death of almost 1,200 people, many of whom were civilians, and in more than 250 hostages being taken captive, whose communities, including our own, await the release of the remaining hostages; and
WHEREAS, to date some of the hostages taken by Hamas and other terrorist groups on October 7, 2023, have been released in exchange for prisoners held by Israel, others have been killed, and many remain captives of Hamas; and
WHEREAS, we recognize the right to self-determination and peaceful, safe futures for both Palestinian and Israeli people; and
WHEREAS, according to a November 2023 UN Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner press release, UN experts stated, “Many of us already raised the alarm about the risk of genocide in Gaza. We are deeply disturbed by the failure of governments to heed our call and to achieve an immediate ceasefire. We are also profoundly concerned about the support of certain governments for Israel's strategy of warfare against the besieged population of Gaza, and the failure of the international system to mobilize to prevent genocide”; and
WHEREAS, Palestinians living in Gaza are being killed at an unprecedented rate; according to ReliefWeb a service of the
WHEREAS, according to ReliefWeb, over 356 medical workers and over 100 journalists have been killed; and Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), 42,510 Palestinians over the course of 200 days have been killed, 15,780 were women and children; and
WHEREAS, according to the Associated Press, the Government of the State of Israel has bombed civilian entities, destroying or damaging: 70 percent of school buildings, 56 schools damaged served as shelters for displaced civilians, 110 mosques and three churches; and
WHEREAS, according to the International Rescue Committee, Palestinian people are now facing a humanitarian crisis that will persist long after the fighting eventually stops; and
WHEREAS, we unequivocally condemn the targeting and killing of Palestinian and Israeli civilians, which would constitute a violation of international law; and
WHEREAS, the World Health Organization, United Nations, Save the Children, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, His Holiness Pope Francis, more than 120 countries, and countless other organizations in New Mexico and around the world have called for a ceasefire to end the violence and suffering in the Gaza Strip. Doctors Without Borders has advocated for, “a total ceasefire and the unconditional supply of humanitarian aid, including access to food, fuel, and water. The survival of people in Gaza depends on this”; and
WHEREAS, we as local leaders are using our voice to stand firmly against the rise of and all acts of racially motivated violence and hate crimes perpetrated against our Jewish, Muslim, Palestinian, and Arab constituents here in Santa Fe County and around the United States; and
WHEREAS, Santa Fe County has a longstanding history of sharing statements on issues happening throughout the world that impact our constituents here at home, and in this moment, we are advocating to our State and Federal leaders to use their power to call for peace; and
WHEREAS, the United States Federal Government holds significant diplomatic and appropriations powers to save Israeli and Palestinian lives.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Santa Fe County Board of County Commissioners hereby urges our State and Federal delegations and the Biden Administration to:
Advance a full, immediate, and permanent ceasefire, along with urgently needed humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip as a necessary step towards lasting peace and the preservation of humanity;
Call for the release of all hostages taken by Hamas or otherwise held in Gaza; and
Call for the release of all people unjustly held in the region.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Santa Fe County supports all of its Palestinian, Israeli, Muslim, and Jewish residents and condemns anti-Semitic and Islamophobic rhetoric and attacks; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Board requests that the County Manager forward this resolution to U.S. President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, Santa Fe County’s Federal Delegation, U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Lujan and Congressional Representatives Teresa Leger Fernandez, Melanie Stansbury, and Gabe Vasquez, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, the leadership of the New Mexico Senate and House, Senators and Representatives in the New Mexico Legislature representing Santa Fe County, James Mountain, Chairman, All Indian Pueblos Council of Governors, and E. Michael Chavarria, Chairman, Eight Northern Indian Pueblos Council.