(Communicated by the Prime Minister’s Media Adviser) Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this afternoon (Thursday), 1.12.11, met with Tzvi Shalit, grandfather of Gilad Shalit, who thanked the Prime Minister and told him: "You saved my grandson for me. In the current situation in the region, it would have been impossible to return him." Tzvi Shalit conveyed Gilad's personal thanks for the Prime Minister's efforts to secure his release from captivity; it was agreed that the two would meet.
When Prime Minister Netanyahu asked about Gilad's health, Tzvi Shalit replied that, "Gilad has put on weight. He really is back to normal." The Prime Minister gave Tzvi Shalit the flag that New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg brought to Israel, and which had been flown in the US in solidarity with the Shalit family.