Move follows controversy over Palestinian flag.
Rome city hall has displayed a yellow ribbon for the release of Israeli hostages after a decision to fly the Palestinian flag sparked an outcry from the city’s Jewish community.
The city council voted last week to fly the Palestinian flag at the Campidoglio, the seat of city hall on the Capitoline Hill, in solidarity with Gaza and the Palestinian people.
The vote committed the administration of centre-left mayor Roberto Gualtieri “to condemn any attack on international humanitarian law, including the recent offensive against Gaza City and any other operation that endangers civilians, destroys humanitarian infrastructure, or hinders safe evacuation.”
Backlash
The move sparked a backlash from the president of Rome’s Jewish community, Victor Fadlun, who described the sight of the Palestinian flag flying over the Capitoline Hill as “a shot through the hearts of the Jews of Rome”.
“We are astonished and saddened that pro-Palestinian propaganda has made inroads into our city council”, Fadlun stated in a post on X on Friday.
Vedere la bandiera palestinese sventolare sul Campidoglio è un colpo al cuore per gli ebrei di Roma. Una scelta di campo divisiva che non ci rappresenta né come cittadini, né come ebrei che hanno radici millenarie in questa città. È una decisione che contrasta con la memoria…
— Victor Fadlun (@fadlunvictor) September 19, 2025
“It is a divisive stance that does not even represent us as citizens, let alone as Jews who have millennia-old roots in this city,” Fadlun said, describing it as “a symbol that dangerously exacerbates the climate of rampant antisemitism and fuels the uncertainty in which the Jewish community of Rome is forced to live today.”
The Israeli ambassador to Italy, Jonathan Peled, on Sunday joined Fadlun in expressing his “firm condemnation” of Rome city council’s decision to fly the Palestinian flag.
“These are unilateral positions that not only fail to foster peace, but also play into the hands of Hamas” – Peled stated – “It is particularly serious and painful that this is happening in Rome, the city marked by the tragic death of little Stefano Gaj Tachè, a victim of Palestinian terrorism”.
Symbol of peace
Responding to the controversy, Rome city council on Sunday said the display of the yellow ribbon marked a renewal of the capital’s commitment to “being a symbol of peace against violence, an open and universal city that promotes dialogue, mutual respect, and coexistence.”
On Sunday evening, the group leaders of the centre-left Partito Democratico (PD) party in the capital’s city council insisted that “Rome is and always will be a safe home for Jews”.
“The display of the Palestinian flag is in no way intended to be an insult to the Jewish community, nor to endorse the terrorists of Hamas, whose crimes and horrific acts we have always firmly condemned,” the PD group assured, while reiterating that the two-state solution was key to achieving peace.
Rome’s decision to fly both flags side by side comes as Italian trade unions call a 24-hour general strike on Monday to demonstrate their solidarity with Gaza.
