(ANSAmed) - ROME, MAY 16 - Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier
who was released by Hamas in October last year after five years
of imprisonment in Gaza, will visit Rome tomorrow. At 8.30pm, he
will receive freedom of the city of Rome in a celebration at the
Capitol. The news was announced by sources in the Jewish
community of Rome. Shalit, 26 years old, is expected to stay in
the Italian capital until Sunday.
A large photograph of Shalit could be seen outside the
Capital for three year. The municipal council and mayor Alemanno
decided in 2009 to grant Shalit the honour.
''Gilad'' explained Riccardo Pacifici, chairman of the Jewish
community in Rome, ''comes to Rome first of all to thank Rome
and our community for our commitment to his release. It is no
institutional trip but a visit for pleasure, relaxation and
interest, as is right for a young man like Shalit. We hope this
trip will help him in his return to normal life.'' Shalit is
expected to visit the final of the international tennis
tournament in Rome and the Italian Cup Final between Juventus
and Napoli. ''Gilad is a fan of Milan,'' Pacifici specified,
''and he will receive a shirt of the team with the signature of
all players.'' (ANSAmed).
