Gilad Schalit, the IDF soldier held in Hamas captivity for five years before being released in October, was welcomed by French President Nicolas Sarkozy to the Élysée Palace in Paris on Wednesday.
Schalit, freed as part of an exchange deal which saw 1,027 Palestinian prisoners released from Israeli jails, is a dual Israeli-French citizen.
Gilad’s father Noam Schalit, who last month announced his decision to run for the Knesset as part of the Labor Party, accompanied his son on the trip to France.
While Gilad Schalit made no statement to the press, AFP quoted Noam Schalit as saying, "We are very pleased to be here at the Elysee Palace and we thank President Nicolas Sarkozy and the team at the Elysee for their efforts and commitment" for the release of Gilad, "we are very moved."
Sarkozy actively lobbied for Schalit’s release while the soldier was held captive in Gaza.
Upon his release in October, French Ambassador to Israel Christophe Bigot was one of Schalit’s first visitors at his family’s home in Mitzpe Hila.
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