Rome's mayor reiterated his strong support for Israel before the directors and curators of dozens of Jewish museums.
Gianni Alemanno, speaking Monday night at a formal dinner he hosted at Rome City Hall, said the fight for the freedom and security of the Jewish state represented a fight for freedom and security for all democratic countries.
It was "extremely important," the mayor said, that a giant portrait of captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit has been displayed the past two years on the outside wall of the City Hall.
"This is not only the fight for the freedom of one soldier but evidence of how close we are to Israel," Alemanno said.
Shalit, who has been held in Gaza for the past five years, has been named an honorary citizen of Rome.
The directors and curators at the dinner -- from Jewish museums in Europe, the United States and Israel -- are attending the annual meeting of the Association of European Jewish Museums.