> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Dukakis talks politics - URL: https://www.smdp.com/dukakis-talks-politics-2/ - Published: 2008-01-17T16:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-24T17:59:59.000Z - Author: Melody Hanatani - Tags: Government & Politics, Santa Monica, #archive-import *Israeli-Palestinian conflict addressed during panel talk* SM LIBRARY The voices grew louder and louder in the Santa Monica Main Library’s auditorium, accusational shouts and name-calling flying out of mouths, fueled by passion over an issue that has divided the world. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is felt thousands of miles away in Santa Monica. Such emotion characterized an event on Tuesday night when a panel discussion — led by former Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis and wife Kitty — dissected a proposal by an Encino-based peace organization to maintain some stability in the Middle Eastern region by establishing equality and the formation of a confederation government. The discussion was followed by a question and answer session, about 20 audience members eagerly rising out of their seats immediately to take their place in line, some to ask questions, others to make a statement, many inquiries and responses by panelists drawing a charged reaction from the audience. It was at the onset of the Q-and-A session that a visibly frustrated man began shouting at the panelist before his turn came, yelling, “Why aren’t there any Jews in Gaza?” and eventually being escorted out after a near altercation with another audience member. The emotional outburst set the stage for the rest of the evening. The event was hosted by the Israeli- Palestinian Confederation, a non-profit organization that proposes a confederation government represented by established Israeli and Palestinian governments. The panel, which included Rabbi Neil Comess-Daniels of temple Beth Shir Sholom, the Dukakises and Josef Avesar, an Israeli-born attorney and founder of the organization, conversed about whether the proposition would work in reality. “We’re trying to build a grass roots movement,” Avesar said. The former Democratic presidential candidate, Dukakis has taught courses in public affairs during the winter quarter at UCLA for the past 13 years and was invited to participate in the panel after meeting Avesar at a lecture at the university last year. Wife Kitty, who is Jewish, has been a member of the president’s Commission on the Holocaust for the past 25 years and has visited Israel on a number of occasions. Though some people in attendance might have been drawn out of their homes because of Dukakis’ name on the program, the former governor’s star power seemed to have taken a back seat to the emotionally and politically driven issue of the Middle Eastern conflict. While he seemed intrigued by the proposition, Dukakis said such an idea would not be viable unless there was both an established Israeli and Palestinian government. “Unless we have a peaceful solution, the confederation itself can’t possibly work,” said Dukakis, who lives in Los Angeles. Dukakis stressed the importance of the outcome of the 2008 presidential election, emphasizing that if Al Gore had been elected president, there might be a different situation in the region. “If I had beaten the old man in 88’, you wouldn’t have heard of the kid,” Dukakis joked. Comess-Daniels concurred that America’s involvement would be necessary to push the idea forward of having two separate states, something that would need to entail an economic benefit to the parties involved. “The way you move off square one is if square two offers more economic viability than square one,” Comess-Daniels said. While the idea of a confederation government is appealing, there are flaws in the system, he added. “We all have to support it, we all have to encourage it, but we have a lot of work to do,” the rabbi said. Under the confederation government, the entire region, including East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza, would be divided into 300 districts, apportioned by population, each electing a representative to the legislature. The legislature would be divided 60-40 in favor of Israelis, a formula calculated based on the current birth rate of Israelis to Palestinian. The balance in the legislature would be recalculated according to shifts in birth trends. There are approximately 10 million people living in the region, 6 million of which are Israeli and 4 million Palestinians. More than a few people seemed to take exception to comments that came from the panelists, some defending the Israelis, others the Palestinians, many caught in the middle. The question and answer session that followed the panel discussion was filled with emotionally-driven questions, often interrupted by another member of the audience, who would subsequently be asked to be quiet. At one point, Kitty Dukakis said she hoped everyone would be able to discuss the issue like adults. Marcy Winograd, who lives in the Pacific Palisades, said she applauds the organizers promoting dialogue and debate, something that never occurred before. “The idea of co-governance does not work in this paradigm, it is a radical one for Jews to discuss,” Winograd said. “I personally don’t think there is balance of power.” The moderator, Donald Bustany, criticized the organizer for the absence of a Palestinian voice in the panel, a thought with which Maureen Cruise of the Pacific Palisades concurred. “I think (a confederation government) sounds like a fantasy,” she said. “It doesn’t sound like something anyone would want.” *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on January 17, 2008.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/011708.pdf?ref=smdp.com)