On Wednesday, Gilad Shalit met with French President Nicolas Sarkozy. Gilad was accompanied by his parents Noam and Aviva Shalit who will also be guests of honor at the annual Representative Council of French Jewish Institutions dinner on Wednesday night. Gilad himself will not attend the dinner as according to his family, "his health does not permit it" Shalit was released in October after five years in Hamas captivity in exchange for 1,027 Palestinian prisoners. Nicolas Sarkozy had tried to get him released and met with Noam and Aviva numerous times over the years. Gilad is a French citizen through his parents and In January Shalit sent a letter in which he thanked Sarkozy and the French people for the efforts they made along the years to speed up his release and the support they gave him and his family. Shalit added that he felt grateful and proud to learn that Sarkozy defended him as the "son of France."