Israel said on Sunday it would consider freeing Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouthi from jail as part of a prisoner exchange deal. The comment by Defence Minister Amir Peretz suggested a change in Israel’s longstanding refusal to consider freeing Barghouthi as it tries to bolster President Abbas in his showdown with Hamas. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert also suggested that he could release some Palestinian prisoners as early as this week, even though militants have yet to free an Israeli soldier held in Gaza. “The time has come for flexibility and generosity, and it could be different than what has been said in past meetings,” Olmert told his cabinet, according to a cabinet source.
Barghouthi, a popular member of AbbasÂ’s Fatah faction, was jailed by an Israeli court for five life terms for ordering attacks as part of the Palestinian revolt against occupation. He denied the charges.