If Israel is to survive, it must make peace with its neighbors and become a multi-ethnic democracy rather than a Jewish state, according to a Jewish peace activist who is in Champaign-Urbana this weekend.

Mark Braverman, author of the provocative book "Fatal Embrace," will make several appearances, including two public speeches Friday, at the University of Illinois and the Champaign Public Library. His visit is coordinated by the Urbana-Champaign Peace Initiative.

"The reason that the conflict has not been solved is that the entire focus has been on the issue of Israel's security, and what has been ignored is the issue of human rights for Palestinians, which I believe is the root cause of the conflict," Braverman said in a phone interview Thursday. "Israelis will never have security as long as the Palestinians are being occupied and denied their basic civil rights."

Braverman wasn't actively involved in the Middle East question until the summer of 2006, when he visited the region on a peace mission.

As detailed in his book, he went to the tiny, centuries-old Palestinian village of Tuwani in the hill country of the southern West Bank, where Israeli settlements are slowly taking over the region. The Israeli army blocks shepherds' access to pasture land with concrete blocks, citing "military necessity," and residents from the nearby settlement of Maon have put poison in their fields, he said. Palestinian villagers are denied services to water and electricity from newly installed pipes and power lines, he said.

One resident told Braverman, "Go home and tell your president to stop killing our children," the book says.

The history of this conflict is long and complicated, and Israel's supporters point to repeated attacks on the country and pledges by its neighbors to destroy its existence.

Braverman said the Palestinians have moderated over time, with Hamas and Fatah joining together and Hamas backing off some of its hard-line rhetoric when it ran for the Palestinian Legislative Council in 2006.

"Hamas has been trying to moderate and become part of the political process for years. We haven't let them" because of "political rhetoric," he said.

Braverman's views haven't won him much praise in the Jewish community. But he says a change in U.S. policy toward Israel is vital to ensure that country's very survival.

Israel has to pull back its settlements from the West Bank and establish borders that create a contiguous Palestine or "a binational state where Arabs have equal rights," he said.

It's up to Palestinians and Israelis to figure out what that might look like, whether it's a partition, federation or an independent state, he said.

His book says a Jewish quest for safety and Christians' desire to atone for centuries of anti-Semitism work together to "suppress the conversations needed to bring peace."

"Criticism of the state of Israel or questions about Zionism are not anti-Semitism," he said. "Giving it a blank check to do whatever it wants, that's not being a friend."

Braverman urges a multifaith partnership with churches and other activists who can pressure the U.S. government to "be a better friend to Israel.".

Braverman said the political changes under way since the Arab spring are "shaking things up," but it's hard to predict where that might lead.

"The focus is on human rights, and it's come from the grass roots, and all of that is good," he said, adding, "It's a very, very unstable situation."

On the whole, "Clearly the trajectory is toward democracy and toward human rights."

At 11:30 a.m. Friday, Braverman will discuss "the global grass-roots movement that's needed to bring peace to Israel and Palestine," at the Lucy Ellis Lounge in the UI Foreign Language Building, 707 S. Mathews St., U.

At 7 p.m. Friday, Braverman will speak on "The Path to Peace in Israel/Palestine: a Jewish American's Journey," at the Champaign Public Library, 200 W. Green St., C

Other appearances include:

— A discussion breakfast on "The Role of the Faith Communities in Achieving a Just Peace in the Holy Land," 8:30 a.m. Friday, University YMCA, 1001 S. Wright St., C.

— A public discussion on "Taking the Next Step" or "Our Role in Bringing Peace to the Holy Land," 9:30 a.m. Saturday, St. Matthew Lutheran Church, 2200 S. Philo Rd., U.

He will also give a class lecture and meet with students on campus.

On the web: http://www.markbraverman.org