I Don't Know What...

...to call this one, but it's very moving:

Emotional welcome for ex-Israeli captive Schalit in Montreal

"Schalit, 27, looking well and much better than the very thin, pale man he was when he returned to Israel in October 2011, appeared dazed and humbled by the emotional response from the audience.

He received two sustained standing ovations, filled with shouts and whistles, from a crowd that included many young people.

Wearing a grey sports jacket and black tie and without glasses, Schalit emphasized his gratitude to the community and to Canada."

[---]

"To his delight, Schalit was presented with a Montreal Canadiens jersey with his name on the back and the number 18, meaning life."

[---]

"Citizenship and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander echoed that sentiment.

Alexander, a former diplomat who served as ambassador to Afghanistan, said the prisoner exchange was “not a sign of weakness on Israel’s part, as its enemies have tried to spin it, but of strength and moral courage.”

Israel’s strong democratic values, he added, are in sharp contrast to those of its neighbours.

This is the reason, Alexander emphasized, that his government, and Prime Minister Stephen Harper personally, have repeatedly taken such a strong stand in support of Israel.

Canada has “taken flak of the international stage” for this position, but the Harper government will remain constant, he said.

“The reason is not that it is necessarily in our interest, as narrowly construed, but because we share values” of democracy and human rights, Alexander said."

Well, some of us do.