Editor’s Note: This is the second presentation in our series of statements delivered to Taos elected officials in support of Representatives Bush/Tlaib’s House Resolution 786 calling for deescalation and an immediate ceasefire in Israel and occupied Palestine. This was delivered at the December 7th joint Town Council and County Commission meeting.
Hello, thank you council members and commissioners for allowing us to speak here today. My name is Eithne Heusseff and I am a resident of Taos County situated in Questa. I have a dear friend in Gaza whom I consider my brother.
On his behalf, we stand here before you today on December 7th, the first day of the third month of this ongoing brutal attack on Gaza, to call for our elected representatives to adopt resolutions to urge NM Congressional District 3 Representative Teresa Leger Fernandez to cosponsor House Resolution 786 calling for immediate deescalation and permanent ceasefire in Israel and Occupied Palestine, and for the entrance of international humanitarian aid.
There have now been 1 out of 100 civilians murdered. Current death toll according to the EuroMed Human Rights group stands at 21,000 civilians deaths, including 7,000 children. To make this relatable to our US population in scale, that would be at least 2,404,168 Americans killed, 6,326,758 Americans wounded, 64,800,000 homes destroyed, and 284,704,123 Americans displaced.
We stand before you in urgency for deescalation of this crisis as it risks deeper and larger conflicts in the Middle East. We already can see the aggression being brought to Iran, Lebanon, Egypt, and Syria. I am someone with a background in international relations. With other colleagues who are political scientists we are monitoring the situation closely and are very concerned about regional war in the Middle East, further threatening international stability and security. We should also all know that the funding for these wars, threatening our societies worldwide, are at the expense of Americans through our taxation. We plea for this taxation to be brought home and distributed to our communities for our safety and security instead of funding the ongoing genocide overseas. We do not want to see the breakout of World War III if this crisis continues to escalate and destabilize the region of the Middle East, threatening international security.
As Taoseños, we advocate for the safety of our Palestinian and Israeli relatives. Further escalation of this war will more and more take away from any prospect of diplomacy, disgracing civilian lives and cursing any prospect of peace for the descendants of Israelis and Palestinians alike in the lands they both call home. If I may, I’d like to remind our governmental bodies and Representative Teresa Leger Fernandez that as New Mexico residents we belong to a state with Dignified Tribal Nations. With their rich history of resilience these cultures have also endured genocide, and I believe it would absolutely disgrace our state and our relatives of New Mexico’s First Nations if community leaders do not take a stand for any population any where on Earth enduring these atrocities.
For the sake of human dignity and this leadership’s integrity, we ask you again to please advocate and cosponsor House Resolution 786 so that we may move forward saving civilian lives, building security and stability not only for Israelis and Palestinians but also our international community at large and our community here at home. Thank you. CEASEFIRE NOW.
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La Jicarita 
Thank you Kay!