On March 24, dozens of women walked barefoot through the center of Rome. They carried their shoes in their hands and held each other by the fingers. It was the Barefoot Walk of the Mothers’ Call for Peace initiative.
At the front walked Reem Al-Hajajreh and Dr. Yael Admi. Al-Hajajreh represents Women of the Sun, a Palestinian peace movement. Admi leads Women Wage Peace, the largest grassroots peace movement in Israel with more than 44,000 active members. Together, they brought hundreds of participants from both communities and from abroad into the streets.
The route led through central locations, including the Piazza del Popolo. Walking barefoot is a deliberate symbol: vulnerability, courage and a connection to the earth, soaked in the blood of children, as the organizers describe it.
Admi explained that the initiative was not launched because of the war with Iran, but in spite of this moment. Women are always told to wait, that it is not the right time. But the war is not over, she said, it keeps coming back. The group demands a plan for the day after, so that Israel does not continue to fight an endless war.
In Jerusalem, a parallel gathering was held on Zoom the same day, as the security situation did not allow a physical march.
It was a quiet walk through a loud time. Mothers who refuse to stand on opposite sides.
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