Target Centermass

Continuing to feel the repercussions of their long dance with the terror devil, the Palestinian Authority continued to scramble amid protests over their latest display of cronyism.

Members of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades burned down offices of the Palestinian intelligence services Sunday in southern Gaza, protesting a security shake-up announced by Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.

The Palestinian Authority president announced a major restructuring of security services Saturday.

The changes included consolidating more than 12 security agencies into three main units and replacing two top security officials. One was replaced with Arafat’s cousin, Musa Arafat.

Within hours of Saturday’s announcement, leaders of Arafat’s Fatah movement in southern Gaza resigned and about 2,000 demonstrators took to the streets, many of them armed, accusing Arafat of replacing “corruption with more corruption.”

I don’t yet believe the PA is in danger, but two things are obvious. First, the Palestinian Street is finally growing tired of false reforms and the game of musical chairs being played by Arafat’s inner circle. Second, when you allow terrorism to grow and blossom because of the convenience that said terrorism is aimed outward, don’t be surprised when the day comes when the bastards turn and look over their shoulder at you. We may be seeing it in the Palestinian areas soon. We’ve seen it in Saudi. We’ve seen plots stopped in Jordan. The lesson should have been obvious from the start; unfortunately, I’m not sure any of the Arab states have truly learned it.

The French may not disagree, but Ariel Sharon is urging Jews to leave France.

The Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon yesterday urged Jews to flee France to escape a rising tide of anti-Semitism. While acknowledging that the French government was fighting racial violence, Mr Sharon warned of “the spread of the wildest anti-Semitism” in France.

Speaking to visiting American Jewish leaders in Jerusalem, Mr Sharon said: “If I have to advocate to our brothers in France, I will tell them one thing – ‘Move to Israel, as early as possible’. I say that to Jews all around the world, but there [in France] I think it’s a must and they have to move immediately.” He added: “In France today, about 10 per cent of the population are Muslims … that gets a different kind of anti-Semitism, based on anti-Israeli feelings and propaganda.”

France is home to Western Europe’s biggest Jewish and Muslim communities with 600,000 Jews and five million Muslims. But it has been troubled by attacks on Jewish people and property in recent years, some of it blamed on youths of North African origin angered by the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The latest French Interior Ministry figures show 510 anti-Jewish acts or threats in the first six months of 2004 – compared to 593 for all of last year.

Yes, it may seem silly to urge Jews out of France to the safety of Israel. However, urging Jews to leave France, ever growing more hostile for them, is not a bad idea and, if current trends continue, may increasingly become a very good idea. At least in Israel, they would have a home that would fight for their protection.

Doffing the CVC to little green footballs for finding this column about the lies of Joe Wilson and lgf’s possibly intriguing look at his supporters.

The story of ex-ambassador Joe Wilson, who deliberately “sexed down” Iraq’s attempts to purchase yellowcake uranium from Niger, continues to be utterly ignored by mainstream media even as source after source proves that he lied about a very serious threat to US security. Mark Steyn has the goods