Bruni sends Sara Netanyahu note on Gilad Schalit

Wife of French president responds to letter passed to her by Netanyahu's wife, says she hopes with "all her heart" soldier will return home.

By JPOST.COM STAFF
PM Netanyahu and wife Sarah headed to London 311 (photo credit: Amos Ben-Gershom/GPO)
PM Netanyahu and wife Sarah headed to London 311
(photo credit: Amos Ben-Gershom/GPO)
French first lady Carla Bruni has responded to a personal letter from Sara Netanyahu on the subject of captive soldier Gilad Schalit.
Sara Netanyahu took advantage of a recent state visit to France to pass French President Nicholas Sarkozy's wife Carla a personal note imploring France's aid in releasing the captive soldier, noting that Schalit holds both French and Israeli citizenship.
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Bruni said in her response that France is working as hard as possible to mediate the release of Gilad Schalit.
"Like you, I wish with all my heart that this episode will be over soon," Bruni wrote.
Sara Netanyahu reached out to Carla Bruni not just as a fellow political figure but also as a fellow woman.
“I write to you not only as the wife of a prime minister to the wife of a president, but also as a mother to a mother. I hope that you can find some way to help Israel in its efforts to free our kidnapped soldier Gilad Schalit,” Sara Netanyahu said.
“As you know, Gilad Schalit, who is both an Israeli and French citizen, has been held hostage for the last five years by Hamas, which has even denied the Red Cross access to him. Gilad has suffered terribly, as has his loving family.”
Also on Thursday, Gilad Schalit's parents, Noam and Aviva, met with the French Foreign minister, Alain Juppe, in their protest tent in Jerusalem.
"The fact that Gilad is still sitting in captivity is not acceptable," said Juppe following the meeting. "We are doing everything we can to bring about his release."
Noam Schalit, however, took a level tone. "We have not received news from France," he said after the meeting concluded. "We asked them to act on several levels, which is nothing new. We have only one goal - bring Gilad back home."
Tovah Lazaroff contributed to this report.