Top Qs
Timeline
Chat
Perspective
Globalize the intifada
Palestinian resistance slogan From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Remove ads
"Globalize the intifada" is an anti-Zionist slogan that has been used to advocate for international support of Palestinian resistance against Israeli occupation as well as various other causes users of the phrase see as tied to the Palestinian cause. The Arabic word intifada (Arabic: اِنْتِفَاضَة intifāḍa), derived from the root n-f-ḍ (ن-ف-ض), means 'a shaking off' and can refer to a popular uprising or rebellion.
In the context of Palestine, it refers to Palestinian uprisings or resistance against Israel; the call to "globalize" it suggests extending the spirit and actions of these uprisings beyond the regional context to a worldwide movement.[1][2][3]
The slogan and related chants have been a subject of controversy and discussion regarding their impact and implications. The slogan has been criticized by some Jewish groups as inciting political violence, terrorism, and antisemitism.[4][5][6]
Remove ads
Intifada
Summarize
Perspective
Morphology
Intifāḍa (انتفاضة) is an Arabic verbal noun (مصدر maṣdar) of instance (اسم مرة ism marra) of the verb intafaḍa (انتفض), derived from the triconsonantal Semitic root n-f-ḍ (ن-ف-ض) related to shaking (off), dusting (off), and making something shiver.[7]: 1157 The verb انتفض intafaḍa is in the verb form اِفْتَعَلَ iftaʿala, referred to in Western sources as 'form VIII,' denoting reflexivity.[7]: 1157
Meaning
The Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic gives the meaning of the verb انتفض intafaḍa as: "to be shaken off, be dusted off; to shake; to shudder, shiver, tremble; to shake off from oneself; to wake up, come to consciousness," as in "انتفض من سباته to shake off one's lethargy," and of its verbal noun انتفاضة intifāḍa (pl. انتفاضات intifāḍāt) as a "shiver, shudder, tremor; awakening (pol.); popular uprising."[7]: 1157
In the context of Palestine, the word intifada refers to attempts to "shake off" the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip in the First and Second Intifadas.[8][9] The term was originally chosen to signify "aggressive nonviolent resistance";[10] in the 1980s, Palestinian students adopted intifada as less confrontational than terms in earlier militant rhetoric since it bore no connotation of violence.[11] The First Intifada was characterized by protests, general strikes, economic boycotts, and riots, including the widespread throwing of stones and Molotov cocktails at the Israeli army and its infrastructure in the West Bank and Gaza. The Second Intifada was characterized by a period of heightened violence. The suicide bombings carried out by Palestinian assailants became one of the more prominent features of the Second Intifada and mainly targeted Israeli civilians, contrasting the relatively less violent nature of the First Intifada.
The First Intifada lasted from 1987 to 1993. The Second Intifada started with the October 2000 protests in Israel and continued until 2005. The term Third Intifada has been variously used to describe 2014 Jerusalem unrest, the 2021 Israel–Palestine crisis, the 2023+ Gaza war and other events.
Remove ads
Usage
Summarize
Perspective
The slogan "globalize the intifada" has been used as a chant in various anti-Zionist protests, along with variations like "there is only one solution, intifada revolution" and "intifada until victory".[12][2][13] According to users of the slogan, it was chosen as a rallying cry for resistance against what they see as "colonial violence and oppression".[14]
In April 2002, antiwar protesters in the United States held signs with slogans reflecting their concerns about racial justice and US involvement in the Middle East, including the Second Intifada and the Iraqi conflict.[15] The slogan has been frequently used by Jewish Voice for Peace.[16]
It has been used as a denunciation of Israel's actions during the Gaza war.[6][17]
Soon after the October 7 attacks in 2023, pro-Palestinian protesters chanted slogans including "globalize the intifada" near a Cooper Union library, sparking accusations of antisemitism from New York City and national leaders, including New York City mayor Eric Adams.[18][19]
In November 2023, the pro-Palestinian group Within Our Lifetime, which supported the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel,[20] posted to Instagram a map of Midtown Manhattan with the headline "Globalize the Intifada". The map contained annotations for locations of Israeli and American companies, along with other points of interest, calling them "location[s] of an office of an enemy of both the Palestinian people and colonized people all over the world", implying they are legitimate targets. The post was condemned by elected officials in New York City and by Jewish groups as "a dangerous and abhorrent incitement to violence and poses a direct threat to New York’s Jewish communities."[21]
In December 2023, the use of banners utilizing the slogan led to the arrest of nine individuals in London under the Public Order Act 1986.[22] In May 2024, a similar slogan—"Intifada, Revolution!"—was used by pro-Palestinian protesters in central London, prompting an investigation by the Met Police.[23]
In 2025, New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani was asked about the phrase in an interview; he described it as a symbolic call for Palestinian human rights, not for violence or antisemitism.[24] He said the word "intifada" had been used by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) in Arabic translations referring to Jewish resistance in German-occupied Europe.[24][25][26] The USHMM repudiated any invocation of Jewish resistance in WWII to justify the slogan,[25] and Mamdani's statements were condemned by Jewish public figures, including US representatives Ted Deutch and Dan Goldman, Jonathan Greenblatt of the Anti-Defamation League, former World Jewish Congress vice president Marc Schneier, Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch, and The Atlantic columnist Jonathan Chait.[27][26][25][28] Brad Lander, Jewish New York City Comptroller and fellow mayoral candidate, defended Mamdani.[29][27][30] In a subsequent interview, Mamdani said that although he did not use the phrase, he did not want to police language.[31]
Remove ads
Criticism
Summarize
Perspective
The call to "globalize" the Intifada through protests and social media posts is seen by critics as an endorsement of past uprisings and a call for their expansion on a global scale. According to The Sunday Telegraph, the phrase has been associated with incitement of violence against Jewish communities.[12] Both the Anti-Defamation League and American Jewish Committee interpret the slogan as endorsing acts of terrorism and indiscriminate violence against Israelis and Jews worldwide.[5][32]
In October 2023, Matthew Foldi of The Spectator asserted that protesters using the slogan were supporters of the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel.[33] Some Jewish writers, including David Hazony, Zev Eleff, Ayal Feinberg and Nora Berman, have interpreted the use of the slogan not just as a challenge to Israel but as being a broader declaration of war against Jews, promoting antisemitism, and calling for violence instead of peace.[34][35][16] Following the 2023 death of Jewish-American Paul Kessler after a fatal altercation during dual pro-Palestine and pro-Israel protests, Prime Minister of Israel Yair Lapid criticized the slogan and argued the protests were inherently hateful of Jewish peoples.[36]
During a December 2023 United States congressional hearing with presidents of major universities, representative Elise Stefanik asserted that the use of the term was a call for genocide of Jewish people,[37][38][39] a position rejected by journalist Daoud Kuttab, academics Seth Cantey, Zinaida Miller and Seth Mandery and others, who noted that the term simply means "uprising".[40][41][42][43][44]
Defense
Others argue that calls for intifada are not inherently violent, arguing that the term "Intifada" does not translate into genocide, being more correctly translated into "uprising".[40][45] Daniel Lefkowitz of the University of Virginia hypothesizes that, though Israelis and many Jews consider the term to be violent, Palestinians associate "Intifada" with the First Intifada, which was largely non-violent; however, Palestinians also attacked Israelis.[46] Some argue the target of "intifada" is the Israeli occupation with the goal of Palestinian independence.[40]
Remove ads
See also
References
Wikiwand - on
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Remove ads