 In January 2012, Noam Shalit, Gilad's father, announced his intention to run on the Israeli Labor Party's candidates list during primaries for the Knesset.On 18 April 2012, Gilad Shalit was discharged from the IDF with the rank of sergeant major.After returning home, Shalit met with, among others, Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu and French President Nicolas Sarkozy at his residence the Élysée Palace, and he is often followed by the media into sports and other events, in which a public figure is photographed with him.