Israel and the Palestinians are expected to take a first, tentative step Friday toward swapping a captive Israeli soldier for hundreds of Palestinians held in Israeli jails: In return for a recent videotape of the serviceman, Israel is to free 20 Palestinian women prisoners, AP reported.
The videotape would be the first glimpse of Sgt. Gilad Schalit, 23, since he was captured in June 2006 by Hamas-linked militants based in the Gaza Strip who tunneled under the border into Israel, killed two other soldiers and dragged him bleeding into Palestinian territory.
If Israel confirms the videotape is authentic and recent, the 20 Palestinian women are to be allowed to return home to the West Bank and Gaza.
Friday's deal would mark the first tangible sign of movement in more than three years of talks aimed at a prisoner exchange. It could also herald an end to a crippling, Israel-led blockade of Gaza, which has prevented the territory from rebuilding after Israel's bruising winter war there.
Israel imposed the blockade after Hamas, a violent group backed by Iran and Syria, seized power in Gaza two years ago and has refused to lift it until the serviceman is freed.
The Palestinians want Israel to trade up to 1,000 Palestinian prisoners for Schalit, including many convicted of deadly attacks on Israelis. Talks have snagged over the specific prisoners the Palestinians want freed and where they are to go after their release.
Israel has said Friday's deal was suggested by Egyptian and German mediators as a "confidence-building measure." But Israeli officials have predicted that negotiations for a final deal would be long and difficult.
Still, both Hamas and Israel appear eager to wrap up a deal.
Schalit's return would end a painful chapter in Israel, where military service is compulsory and his long captivity has touched a raw nerve.
Many Israelis have rallied behind the soldier and his family, holding protests calling for his release and decorating their cars with bumper stickers bearing his name. As speculation about a possible prisoner swap grows, however, arguments against his release have grown louder, because of the high price Israel would have to pay.
Hamas' profile, meanwhile, would be raised in Palestinian territories by the loosening of the blockade and the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
Prisoners enjoy an eminent status in Palestinian society because so many families have members in Israeli jails. A large-scale release would be a coup for Hamas as it jockeys for power against the moderate government led by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank.
Israel, Palestinians move toward prisoner swap
