Israel Police officials are trying to keep the parade route for Tuesday morning�s Um el-Fahm Israel flag parade a secret, calling on parade participants not to publicize the route to avoid counter protests and violence from left-wing Israelis and Israeli Arabs.

Some 3,000 policemen are assigned to protect the 100 participants and many have taken up position in the Nachal I�ron (Wadi Ara) area during the predawn hours. Troops include elite commando forces.

Heading the parade will be right-wing activists Baruch Marzel, Itamar Ben-Gavir and MK (Ichud HaLeumi) Dr. Michael Ben-Ari.

The event is scheduled to get underway at 9:00am, and left-wing Meretz protestors plan to take up position at 8:30am. Police hope to avoid clashes, explaining the entire event should end by 11:00am.

Marchers will meet at a prearranged location; they will be checked for weapons, and then board armor-plated police buses, which will take them to the Um el-Fahm parade route.

Police intelligence officials are concerned over some ominous reports, even the possibility that gunfire may be used to halt the controversial event.

The organizers insist this is a litmus test regarding Israel�s control over Arab areas, as well as a sad testimony of the lack of loyalty and anti-Israel sentiment exhibited by the Arab citizens of the nation. Marzel repeatedly points out that while some view the act as a provocation, all that is being done is that a number of marchers are waving the national flag, nothing more.

Arab MKs and Um el-Fahm municipality leaders have vowed to prevent �the extremists� and �fascists� from entering their community, calling on Israelis to take up position with them to prevent the �provocative act�. A general strike has been declared in the municipality and all residents are called upon to come to assist in preventing the march. (Yechiel Spira � YWN Israel)