Move follows controversy over Palestinian flag.
Rome metropolis corridor has displayed a yellow ribbon for the discharge of Israeli hostages after a choice to fly the Palestinian flag sparked an outcry from town’s Jewish group.
The metropolis council voted final week to fly the Palestinian flag on the Campidoglio, the seat of metropolis corridor on the Capitoline Hill, in solidarity with Gaza and the Palestinian folks.
The vote dedicated the administration of centre-left mayor Roberto Gualtieri “to sentence any assault on worldwide humanitarian regulation, together with the latest offensive towards Gaza City and another operation that endangers civilians, destroys humanitarian infrastructure, or hinders secure evacuation.”
Backlash
The transfer sparked a backlash from the president of Rome’s Jewish group, Victor Fadlun, who described the sight of the Palestinian flag flying over the Capitoline Hill as “a shot by way of the hearts of the Jews of Rome”.
“We are astonished and saddened that pro-Palestinian propaganda has made inroads into our metropolis council”, Fadlun said in a publish 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 doesn’t even symbolize us as residents, not to mention as Jews who’ve millennia-old roots on this metropolis,” Fadlun mentioned, describing it as “a image that dangerously exacerbates the local weather of rampant antisemitism and fuels the uncertainty through which the Jewish group of Rome is pressured to dwell at the moment.”
The Israeli ambassador to Italy, Jonathan Peled, on Sunday joined Fadlun in expressing his “agency condemnation” of Rome metropolis council’s determination to fly the Palestinian flag.
Symbol of peace
Responding to the controversy, Rome metropolis council on Sunday mentioned the show of the yellow ribbon marked a renewal of the capital’s dedication to “being an emblem of peace towards violence, an open and common metropolis that promotes dialogue, mutual respect, and coexistence.”
On Sunday night, the group leaders of the centre-left Partito Democratico (PD) social gathering within the capital’s metropolis council insisted that “Rome is and at all times can be a secure house for Jews”.
“The show of the Palestinian flag is by no means meant to be an insult to the Jewish group, nor to endorse the terrorists of Hamas, whose crimes and horrific acts we have now at all times firmly condemned,” the PD group assured, whereas reiterating that the two-state resolution was key to attaining peace.
Rome’s determination to fly each flags aspect by aspect comes as Italian commerce unions name a 24-hour common strike on Monday to reveal their solidarity with Gaza.
