Barefoot Through Rome: A City Watches as Israeli and Palestinian Mothers Walk Together

On March 24, 2026, hundreds of mothers, women, and allies from Israel, Palestine, Europe, and beyond gathered in Rome for a peaceful, symbolic barefoot march — the “Barefoot Walk: Mothers’ Call for Peace.” Organized as the global launch of the Mothers’ Call initiative, the event brought Israeli and Palestinian women together, walking hand-in-hand and barefoot through historic streets, to demand an end to violence in the Middle East, protection for all children, and the urgent inclusion of women in peace negotiations.

The march was entirely peaceful, emotionally charged, and widely covered by international media. Women from opposing sides of one of the world’s most intractable conflicts walked side by side — embracing, crying, praying, and singing together. International participants from France, Germany, the United States, and elsewhere described it as the only meaningful way to stand with suffering families. The atmosphere was described by observers and journalists as dignified, deeply human, and powerfully unifying.

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  Ara Pacis — Altar of Peace (Start)

  The procession began at this ancient Roman monument — the Altar of Peace commissioned by Augustus — its symbolism deliberate: peace not as absence of war, but as a civilizational project requiring active commitment. Shoes were removed here.
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  Piazza del Popolo — The Shoe-Removal Moment

  A solemn shoe-removal ceremony in Piazza del Popolo, followed by a choral performance. Hundreds of women stood barefoot in the square as the crowd fell silent — a moment of collective vulnerability and shared humanity that drew tears from participants and onlookers alike.
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  Terrazza del Pincio — Conclusion

  The march concluded at the Terrazza del Pincio, overlooking the city, with speeches from the two co-leaders and a closing choral performance. Plans were announced for the leaders to meet Pope Leo on March 25 to deliver the Mothers’ Call appeal — following the initiative’s earlier reception by Pope Francis.

Two Mothers. Two Nations. One Call.

The march was led by two prominent activists and mothers — both Nobel Peace Prize nominees — who embody the possibility that dialogue and solidarity can cross even the most contested of borders.

From the European Parliament: A Voice for the Mothers’ Call

Solidarity from the European Parliament

Manel Msalmi

FFN Chief Executive · Founder & President, European Association for the Defense of Minorities

From the European Parliament — the beacon of democracy and freedom — Manel Msalmi showed her solidarity from Brussels and called on the international community to support this women’s initiative and this mothers’ call for a better future for children and young people in the region. Msalmi participated from Brussels by video, joining a global chorus of voices standing alongside the women marching through Rome.

📍 European Parliament · Brussels, Belgium · March 24, 2026

The Mothers’ Call is a call to the international community — to governments, to institutions, to every person with a voice — to support this initiative and to act to end the violence against women and children on all sides of this conflict, and to put an end to the suffering of both Palestinian and Israeli communities. For Manel Msalmi, who has spent her career advocating for the rights of religious and ethnic minorities across the MENA region and Europe, the Mothers’ Call resonates at the deepest level of her work: the belief that dialogue, not silence, is the only path toward dignity and peace.

Sakharov Prize Nominees: Honoured by the European Parliament

This recognition from the European Parliament is not incidental. The Sakharov Prize is awarded to those who have made an exceptional contribution to the struggle for human rights and freedoms. For two women’s movements — one Israeli, one Palestinian — to be nominated together, as joint advocates of the same cause, is itself a political statement about the path toward peace: that it runs not through separation and mutual hostility, but through solidarity, shared vulnerability, and the recognition of each other’s humanity.

The Mothers’ Call Goes Global — From Rome to Jerusalem to Sydney

The Rome march is only the beginning. Parallel solidarity marches took place simultaneously in Jerusalem and cities around the world — with more planned in the coming months, timed to coincide with international summits including the G7 in France in June 2026.

In Florence, an interfaith event saw a rabbi, an imam, and an archbishop join together to toss white flowers into the Arno River in memory of war victims — a gesture of mourning and solidarity that transcended denominational boundaries. On March 25, Reem Al-Hajajreh and Dr. Yael Admi were scheduled for a private audience with Pope Leo to deliver the Mothers’ Call appeal directly — following the initiative’s earlier support from Pope Francis.

What the Mothers Are Calling For

The Mothers’ Call is grounded in four core demands — each one both a demand to the world and a commitment from the women who are making it.

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  An immediate end to bloodshed across Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, Iran, and the broader Middle East — for the sake of the children who are dying and the children who will be born into a world of war unless adults choose differently.
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  Safety, dignity, and a fear-free future for every child — regardless of nationality, religion, or ethnicity. No child should grow up learning to hate before they learn to read.
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  Inclusion of women in all peace negotiations and decision-making — not as token representation, but as full participants with equal standing. The research is unambiguous: peace agreements that include women are more durable. Excluding them is not just unjust. It is strategically counterproductive.
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  A political horizon and a return to civic responsibility — to break the cycle of violence through the only means that has ever worked: political agreements, negotiated settlements, and the recognition that the other side is also made of human beings who love their children as much as you love yours.