Todd Culp, professor of history and political science, will present “Beyond the Barrier: A Peace Activist’s View of the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict” at noon Friday, Oct. 17 in room CTC 124-125.

Culp began traveling to the Middle East in 1993 during the first Palestinian uprising and has written a book called “The Friends Whose Names I’ll Never Know” based on his experiences.

While living in the West Bank, he interviewed militant groups such as The Islamic Jihad, Hamas and Hizb ut-Tahrir in an attempt to better understand the violence taking place in that region.

He still spends time each year in the West Bank working with peace activists to stand against the regular violence of the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict. He leads Americans on educational tours of the conflict zones in an attempt to bring the reality of this fighting home.

“It has been my privilege for the last 17 years as I walked the streets of the West Bank and Gaza to witness acts of courage, selflessness and beauty amidst the brutality that is the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict,” he said.

This event is sponsored by the Diversity Team and Office of International/Multicultural Education and is free and open to the public.

For information, contact Amanda Cook Fesperman at (815) 224-0203.