Kerry reportedly says he will consider freeing Jonathan Pollard as part of prisoner swap Secretary of State John Kerry will travel to the Middle East in the first week of the new year amid a flurry of reports in the Israeli press that he has said he would consider freeing convicted spy Jonathan Pollard. Israel's Channel 10 TV station first reported Friday that Kerry offered to free Pollard as part of an exchange for the release of a fourth group of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails as peace talks resume between the two sides. The third of four groups is scheduled to be released Monday, the Jerusalem Post reported. Pollard, a former U.S. intelligence analyst, pleaded guilty to passing national defense information to the Israeli government in 1986 and was sentenced to life in prison the following year. The Channel 10 report added that the Israeli government believes Pollard is unlikely to be released since Kerry's statement was not approved by President Barack Obama. A source told Fox News that Pollard's release was in play, but it was unclear what price Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would be asked to pay for it, or even if Netanyahu would agree to pay it. Many prominent Israeli politicians, including Netanyahu, have called for Pollard's release since his imprisonment. Those calls became louder after recent reports based on documents leaked by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden revealed that the NSA had tracked e-mail accounts belonging to former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, and former Defense Minister Ehud Barak between 2008 and 2009. Kerry will arrive in the region amid a series of violent Palestinian attacks on Israeli targets in recent weeks. The attacks are raising concerns about the possibility of a new type of Palestinian uprising. Kerry, who became secretary of state in February, has so far visited Israel nine times. After years of relative quiet, Israel's Shin Bet security service has reported a steady rise in attacks since Israeli and Palestinian peace negotiators resumed talks in July. The State Department confirmed late Saturday that Kerry will leave Wednesday for Jerusalem to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, then go to Ramallah to meet with President Abbas. He will discuss the ongoing, final-status negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians, "among other issues," the department said.