The vital point in the changes that have taken place since Nicolas Sarkozy was elected as President of the Republic last May is his openly positive stance towards Israel. This was obvious when he received CRIF President Richard Prasquier just weeks after his election. Richard Prasquier raised the question of the three Israeli soldiers, Guilad Shalit, abducted by Hamas on June 26, 2006, and Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser, abducted by Hizbullah on July 12, 2006. Nicolas Sarkozy promised to "do everything in his power to get them freed."
Thanks to the position of the President of the Republic and Bernard Kouchner, Foreign Affairs Minister, the general climate has changed and France's policy towards the Middle East has become more balanced. Last October, Ehud Olmert, Israeli Prime Minister, welcomed this new position at a meeting with the Jewish community in France organised by CRIF. The quality of the relations between France and Israel will be given concrete expression in March 2008 with the State visit of Shimon Peres, President of Israel, the first State visit of Nicolas Sarkozy's term of office.
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