Why is the proximity-talks charade necessary? Because currently, Obama lacks both public and congressional support for moving beyond mere verbal hostility. If he didn’t realize this before, the backlash to his March temper tantrum over Ramat Shlomo would certainly have convinced him.

So he needs to up the ante by painting Israel’s government as responsible for torpedoing a key American foreign-policy initiative — one he has repeatedly framed as serving both a vital American national interest and a vital Israeli one. He could then argue not only that Israel deserves punishment but that such punishment would actually serve Israel’s interests.

To avoid this trap, Jerusalem must launch its own PR campaign in America now to put the focus back where it belongs: on Palestinian unwillingness to accept a Jewish state. For if Israel lets Obama control the narrative, the public and congressional support on which it depends may be irretrievably undermined.

Arlene Kushner gives a number of examples where Israel has failed to “control the narrative.”

The Arabs spoke about the ’67 “border” and there was no clear and immediate Israeli government retort – repeated as often as necessary – that the ’67 line was an armistice line and not meant to be permanent. By default, if nothing else, we left the impression that behind the ’67 line was where we most properly “belonged.” The flip side of this was that everything on the other side of that line was “Palestinian.”

When the Arabs spoke about “Arab east Jerusalem,” we did not forcefully clarify the fact that part of Jerusalem had a predominantly Arab population only because Jordan had thrown out every Jew, and that this very area was actually the heart of Jewish heritage. We didn’t tell our history and make our claim clear.

The Arabs have represented UNRWA as being a humanitarian agency that helps the disenfranchised “Palestinian refugees” survive until they can “return” to Israel. Did we ever energetically expose the fact that UNRWA’s rules are different from the rules for all other refugees in the world, who are managed by UNHCR? Don’t be silly.

These are all approaches for Israel’s PR.

There’s one more thing, something that Daled Amos has picked up on.

To present the appearance of a decision, Mahmoud Abbas added members of the Fatah Executive Committee to the meeting.

Fatah official Nabil Abro confirmed that there was no quorum at the PLO meeting, and that its decision had no legal standing.

It would be comparable to walking into a department store with a maxed out credit card. You could go through the motions of making purchases, but in the end when you check out, the credit card reader will inform the clerk that you are not authorized to make any purchases and he’ll send you on your way.

It’s one thing to say that these talks are designed to fail. It’s quite another when one side ensures that it will fail.

The administration’s view on the proximity talks is:

The State Department spokesman, Philip J. Crowley, released a statement warning both sides that “if either takes significant actions during the proximity talks that we judge would seriously undermine trust, we will respond to hold them accountable and ensure that negotiations continue.”

So aside from the historical points that Israel needs to make, will Israel (and its supporters) make the point that Abbas has gone in with no standing? And if they do, will the American government “hold [him] accountable” for undermining trust?

Crossposted on Soccer Dad.

Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Monday said that Israel has identified signs of distress coming from Hamas. According to the defense minister, some 70 Hamas fighters have been killed during the last two months, and more than 300 have been killed during the past six months.”Hamas is very stressed. The most effective action is the siege,” Barak said, referring to the Israeli-imposed economic blockade on the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. Israel imposed the blockade on Gaza after the Islamist group seized power over the impoverished coastal strip last June. Since then, Israel has allowed only basic staples to be transported through the border crossings it controls, into Gaza.

While it may not be enough, it’s certainly welcome to hear. Unfortunately, even if Hamas is losing its political hold, operationally the Qassams have kept on coming. Elder of Ziyon noted that there was no day in May that was Qassam free.

When the NY Times reported that Israel allowed the Fulbright scholars to leave, it did note the reason that Israel closed Gaza.

The closing, an effort to punish Hamas for its rocket and mortar barrages of southern Israel, prevents Palestinians from leaving Gaza except for medical emergencies.

But that’s just lip service. Remember, Qassams struck Israel every day for a month. And the closure isn’t punitive. It’s an attempt to stop the regular (or daily) bombardments; hardly an unreasonable goal. It may even be having a positive effect politically. But the article focuses instead on the negative effects of the closure, not its causes. And it also focuses on how the State Department brought pressure on Israel (something that the Times played a role in.)

Secretary Rice said:

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said she was surprised to hear of the withdrawals, adding: “If you cannot engage young people and give complete horizons to their expectations and their dreams, I don’t know that there would be any future for Palestine. We will take a look. I am a huge supporter of Fulbrights.”

By itself, there’s little objectionable about Sec. Rice’s statement. However in this context it’s troubling.

First of all, education by itself, doesn’t guarantee hope or peaceful intentions. Yihye Ayyash was really trained as an engineer. Abdel Aziz Rantisi was a pedicatrician. Fahti Shkaki was a doctor. The problem is the indoctrination that goes on.

PMW just reported on the hatred that is shown on Palestinian TV. And it isn’t only from Hamas, it’s also from Fatah. But Sec. Rice had no words of criticism about indoctrination.

Nor did Secretary Rice lament the rocket attacks that target Israeli schools. The problem isn’t that Israel isn’t allowing Gazans to better themselves. It’s that Gazans generally support Hamas and Hamas is dedicated to the destruction of Israel. If the Israeli blockade has the effect of undermining Hamas, it shouldn’t be portrayed as an obstacle to peace.

This is an issue that could have been resolved quietly without embarrassing Israel. Sec. Rice and her department decided to go public and question Israel’s government rather than place any responsibility on Hamas and the public that supports it.

More from Meryl.

Crossposted on Soccer Dad.