French President Nicolas Sarkozy will visit Israel in May, his first trip to the Jewish state since taking office, according to French government official Herve Novelli. The date has not been determined and it is not yet known if his visit will coincide with Israel's 60th anniversary as a modern state on May 8, 2008.
The French president, one of whose grandparents was Jewish, has expressed close friendship with Israel and has changed the tone of relations with Israel after taking over from his predecessor, Jacques Chirac, who was considered by the Israeli government as pro-Arab.
Sarkozy visited Israel in 2004, when Ariel Sharon was Prime Minister.