More than 10,000 marchers participated in first day of procession to Jerusalem. Police estimated that 10,000 marchers participated in the first day of the procession, which began on Sunday at the Shalit family home in Mitzpeh Hila, in the north of the country and is scheduled to end across from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's residence in Jerusalem.Ministers Eli Yishai and Yaakov Margi of Shas and Michael Eitan of Likud announced on Sunday that they intend to join the protest march by the family of the abducted Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.
As reported in Haaretz on Sunday, Netanyahu demanded that the cabinet evince a "firm stance" against the anticipated public pressure generated by the march, in the belief that a tougher stance in the face of Israeli public opinion will compel Hamas to moderate its demands in the prisoner swap negotiations.
The 12-day march, which coincides with the four-year anniversary of Shalit's abduction by Palestinian gunmen, is not expected to persuade the government to offer a more generous proposal to Hamas, which is demanding the release of hundreds of convicted terrorists in exchange for Shalit.
Nonetheless, the protest march did dent the government's unified stance following the announcements by Yishai, Margi, and Eitan. Yishai, the interior minister and Shas chairman, called on fellow Shas MKs and ministers "to support the family with their feet."