Palestinian activists Mohammad Khatib and Feryal Abu Haikal speak about the nonviolent struggle of Palestinians at 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 1, in the Edmund S. Muskie Archives, 70 Campus Ave., Bates College. Cosponsored by the Mushahada Association, the Multicultural Center, Students for Peace and Justice in Palestine and the politics department, the talk is open to the public free of charge.

A leading opponent of the Israeli separation barrier, Khatib is a prominent member of Bil’in’s Popular Committee Against the Wall and the secretary of Bil’in’s Village Council. Khatib has been arrested and wounded by the Israeli military during nonviolent protests. He is quoted frequently in the Palestinian, Israeli and international media and his writing has been published in the International Herald Tribune.

Haikal recently retired after 11 years as the headmistress at the Kortuba School in the heart of Hebron’s old city. The school serves 100 Palestinian children in grades 1-10 and has become a model of nonviolent resistance. A lifelong resident of Tel Rumeida and the mother of 11 children, Haikal says she has remained in her home with her family despite efforts by settlers to take over their property. She says that she and her family have been attacked and harassed by settlers, and her husband and sons arrested by the Israel military, simply for insisting on remaining in their homes.

The evening lecture, The Challenge of Feminist Peacework in Israel and Palestine, begins at 8 p.m. in Chase Hall Lounge. The public is invited free of charge to attend both presentations and may call 207-786-8272 for more information.

These events are co-sponsored by the chaplain’s office, Harward Center for Community Partnerships, the Multicultural Center, Mushahada Association, New World Coalition, the political science department, the Women’s Resource Center and the program in women and gender studies.

An Arab-Palestinian feminist and peace activist with the Coexistence Forum for Arabs and Jews and with the New Israel Fund’s Empowerment and Training Center for Social Change Organizations in Israel, Abu-Rabia coordinates the Bedouin Women’s Empowerment Program that reaches out to Bedouin women and raises their awareness about their rights. “I believe that living in a reality of conflict does not excuse me from my responsibility and duty towards my society,” Abu Rabia says.

Safran is an Israeli peace activist with Women in Black, a weekly peace vigil that opposes the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Co-founder of the Coalition of Women for Just Peace, she coordinates the Haifa Feminist Center and the women’s studies program at the University of Haifa.

The women’s tour is organized by Faculty for Israeli-Palestinian Peace, a network of university faculty promoting peace in the Middle East.