The Barefoot Walk: Mother’s Call for Peace took place in Rome, bringing together Palestinian and Israeli mothers under one shared demand: we want peace. The images.
Barefoot, hand in hand, vulnerable and resilient together. A symbolic gesture that speaks above all of peace and the need for a future for the next generations—in Palestine and in Israel. From this powerful image began in Rome the Barefoot Walk: Mother’s Call for Peace, a march that saw Palestinian and Israeli mothers walking together, hand in hand and barefoot, asking for one single thing: peace. To stop the violence and take part in negotiations, claiming their presence in spaces where women are often excluded. A gesture that crosses political and cultural boundaries to bring back to the center the bodies and lives of those who experience conflict firsthand every single day.
“For generations, our communities have been torn apart by violence and fear,” said Palestinian Reem Al-Hajajreh of Women of the Sun and Israeli Yael Admi of Women Wage Peace, both nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize and leaders of a movement that brings together thousands of women from both countries around the world. “While wars continue, the voices of those who pay the highest price—mothers and women—are systematically ignored and excluded from the rooms where decisions are made about their future and that of their children. Today we say enough—this must end. Our children deserve better choices than to kill or be killed. For years, and not without risks, we have been working to build connections between our peoples, because dialogue is the only way to build a just and lasting peace. This goal is not only possible—it is essential for the survival of our communities.”
The march in Rome, along with the meeting with the Pope, marks the beginning of a global mobilization, with initiatives planned in the coming months in several countries, including alongside major international political events such as the G7 in France. At the center is the demand for an immediate and permanent end to violence and the inclusion of women in peace negotiations, in line with Resolution 1325 (known as the Women, Peace, and Security Agenda), adopted 25 years ago by the United Nations Security Council. The march, held at sunset, concluded with a moving moment featuring an a cappella performance by singer-songwriter and activist MILCK, who, with her original song, gave voice to the universal desire of all mothers—that their children may grow up safe and free from fear.
