Former Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit met with French president Nicolas Sarkozy on Wednesday at the Elysee Palace in Paris. Parents Noam and Aviva Shalit accompanied their son, who has French citizenship, and thanked Sarkozy for his commitment to the cause, Israel's Haaretz said. Shalit was abducted in June 2006 by militants who tunneled into Israel from the Gaza Strip and surprised his tank crew, killing two of his comrades. He was held incommunicado in the Hamas-ruled territory and a huge majority of Israelis backed the deal that brought him home two months ago.