Shalit swap could include convicted killer

BE'ER SHEVA, Israel, Dec. 5 (UPI) -- Kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit could be released this month in a swap that would include convicted killer Marwan Barghouti, an Israeli official said Saturday.

Shalit has been held in Gaza since his June 25, 2006, capture by Palestinian militants.

Within the next two weeks, Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu hoped to conclude a deal to release several hundred Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the Israeli soldier, said Daniel Ben Simon, a Labor Party member of the Knesset.

The release list includes Barghouti, a Fatah leader convicted of killing five Israelis during a Palestinian uprising in September 2000, Haaretz reported Saturday.

Not yet decided was whether Barghouti should be released to the West Bank or sent overseas for a "cooling off period," Ben Simon said at a cultural event in Be'er Sheva. Barghouti potentially could become a negotiator in future Palestinian-Israeli peace talks, Ynetnews.com reported.

"It is possible that Israel will sit opposite Barghouti in two years' time," he said.