Amira Hass looked directly into a video camera and said she believes the world is in danger.
She spoke to about 250 people Monday about how Israel is discriminating against Palestinians, which she said could be the spark that spurs World War III.
According to the Bob Graham Center for Public Service, seven UF organizations co-sponsored the event.
"It's as far from peace as we can think about," she said.
Hass, an author and journalist, has won the International Press Institute's World Press Freedom Hero Prize, among other awards. She lived in the middle of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to get an inside look at the events as a journalist for Ha'aretz, Israel's oldest daily newspaper.
"I think every individual Palestinian is an example of perseverance," she said. "It is really a question of every minute, you have to struggle with this offense of being discriminated against, of being a resident."
Ann Henderson, director of the Bob Graham Center for Public Service, said Hass is an inspiration because she wrote about stories other journalists didn't have the courage to cover.
John Whooley, a 29-year-old political science doctoral student, said Hass was brave to take on these subjects.
"I think it's a bold position to speak truth to power," he said. "She's a hell of a journalist."
A crowd of people gather at the MacKay Auditorium to hear Amira Hass, an award-winning Israeli journalist, speak about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict Monday night.
