Obama to Israel: Status quo failing

From Virtual Jerusalem:

Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama said Tuesday that America needs to ask Israel to help change the status quo in its conflict with the Palestinians, the only candidate at a National Jewish Democratic Council conference to suggest that there is any onus on the Jewish state when it comes to making peace with its neighbors.

'The United States government and an Obama presidency cannot ask Israel to take risks with respect to its security,' he told the crowd of Democratic activists and campaign contributors. 'But it can ask Israel to say that it is still possible for us to allow more than just this status quo of fear, terror, division. That can't be our long-term aspiration.'

Freshman senator Barack Obama's appeal to change the status quo of American politics has propelled him into the top tier of Democratic presidential contenders, and he evinced the same optimism on the intractable Israeli-Palestinian issue.

It's important to be 'hard-headed and clear-eyed about the dangers' in the Middle East, Obama said.

'We also have to recognize that the status quo is not inevitable, that we can aspire to something greater,' he continued, 'we should want to have that difficult, tough discussion...about how we're going to arrive at what I think everybody wants, which is two states living side by side in peace and security.'

The audience applauded his words...