Ariel Sharon narrowly persuaded the Israeli cabinet yesterday to approve a prisoner swap with the Lebanese guerrilla group Hezbollah. Under the terms of the deal, Israel would release some 400 Palestinian and 20 Lebanese prisoners, in exchange for one live Israeli civilian, Elhanan Tannenbaum, and the remains of three Israel Defense Forces soldiers. Tannenbaum was kidnapped by Hezbollah from an Arab country in October 2000, shortly after the three soldiers were ambushed and abducted on the Israel-Lebanon border. The three have since been declared fallen in action.