globalize the intifada

{{Excerpt|Intifada#History|paragraphs=1-3}}

The slogan "globalize the intifada" has been used as a chant in various anti-Zionist protests, along with variations such as "There is only one solution, intifada revolution" or "Intifada until victory".{{cite news |title=Anti-semitic row in teachers' union: Discovery of rally video has sparked demands for investigation into secretary who 'incited violence' [edition 2] |date=2023-04-02 |work=The Sunday Telegraph |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/2793570609 |access-date=2023-11-11|id={{ProQuest|2793570609}} }}{{cite web |title=Mohamed Hadid shares 'Globalize Intifada' message on Instagram |url=https://www.jpost.com/international/article-720284 |website=The Jerusalem Post |author=Jerusalem Post Staff |date=October 22, 2022}}{{Cite news |last=Tress |first=L. |title='Intifada until victory': Pro-palestinian demonstrators rally in new york |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/2645662235 |work=The Times of Israel |date=2022-04-01 |access-date=2023-11-11|id={{ProQuest|2645662235}} }}{{cite web |title=Antisemitic incidents have spiked in New York since Hamas attack on Israel, NYPD says |url=https://forward.com/fast-forward/566798/antisemitic-incidents-have-spiked-in-new-york-since-hamas-attack-on-israel-nypd-says/ |website=The Forward |author=Luke Tress |date=October 25, 2023}} It has been used against the Israeli actions during the Gaza war.{{cite news |title=New York protestors wield Palestinian flags, endorse 'global intifada': Groups including Within Our Lifetime and Occupy Wall Street affiliates marched in New York City on Friday calling to smash the "settler Zionist state" and calling to "globalize the intifada." |last=Breuer |first=E. |year=2021 |access-date=November 12, 2023 |newspaper=Jerusalem Post|url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/2574535882|id={{ProQuest|2574535882}} }} According to users of the slogan, it was chosen as a rallying cry for resistance against what they see as "colonial violence and oppression".{{cite web |title=Globalize Intifada: Pro-Palestine Protesters March in New York |url=https://www.palestinechronicle.com/globalize-intifada-pro-palestine-protesters-march-in-new-york/ |website=Palestine Chronicle |date=19 September 2021 |access-date=November 12, 2023}}

Antiwar protesters in the United States during April 2002 held signs with the slogan in the wake of the Second Intifada and the Iraq war, as a form of racial justice and to protest US involvement in the region.{{Cite book |last=Kaplan |first=Esther |author-link=Esther Kaplan |title=Wrestling with Zion: Progressive Jewish-American Responses to the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict |date=2003 |language=en |chapter=Globalize the Intifada |editor-last1=Kushner |editor-first1=Tony |editor-link1=Tony Kushner |editor-last2=Solomon |editor-first2=Alisa |editor-link2=Alisa Solomon |publisher=Grove Press |page=85 |isbn=978-0802140159}}

In October 2023, pro-Palestinian protesters chanted "globalize the intifada" near a library building where some Jewish students were in what has been characterized by critics as an antisemitic incident. New York City Mayor Eric Adams responded to the incident, affirming that hate has no place in New York City and emphasizing the right to peaceful protest.{{cite web |title=Jewish students lock themselves in library as protestors march through campus |url=https://www.thejc.com/news/world/jewish-students-lock-themselves-in-library-as-protestors-march-through-campus-4PUecyaH6PM84Jz0BFSw06 |website=The Jewish Chronicle |author=Ben Clerkin |date=October 26, 2023}} The NYPD later released a statement that students were not barricaded within the library and that the protest had been pre-planned.{{Cite web |last=Rozner |first=Lisa |date=2023-10-26 |title=Pro-Palestinian rally at Cooper Union leads to tense moments at school library - CBS New York |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/cooper-union-pro-palestinian-rally-jewish-students-library/ |access-date=2024-05-12 |website=www.cbsnews.com |language=en-US}} Pro-Palestinian protesters had planned a march throughout the entire college ahead of time, argued the library had students of multiple backgrounds, and the march itself had Jewish students.

In November 2023, pro-Palestinian group Within Our Lifetime, which supported the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel,{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=What is Within Our Lifetime, the group behind NY’s most extreme anti-Israel protests? |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/what-is-within-our-lifetime-the-group-behind-nys-most-extreme-anti-israel-protests/ |access-date=2025-06-26 |website=www.timesofisrael.com |language=en-US}} made a post headlined "Globalize the Intifada" with a map of Israeli and American companies and transit hubs. 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."{{cite news |last1=Tress |first1=Luke |title=US pro-Palestinian group blasted for map of Jewish groups with 'blood on their hands' |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-pro-palestinian-group-blasted-for-map-of-jewish-groups-with-blood-on-their-hands/ |access-date=27 November 2023 |work=New York Jewish Week |date=2023-11-17}}

In December 2023, the use of banners utilizing the slogan led to the arrest of nine in London under the Public Order Act.{{Cite news |last=Cooney |first=Christy |date=2023-12-05 |title=Nine arrested over pro-Palestinian banner in London |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/dec/05/nine-arrested-over-pro-palestinian-banner-in-london |access-date=2023-12-07 |issn=0261-3077}} In May 2024, a similar slogan, "Intifada, Revolution!", was used by pro-Palestinian protesters in central London, prompting an investigation by the Met Police.{{Cite web |date=2024-05-18 |title=London pro-Palestine marchers call for 'Intifada, Revolution!', London Police investigating |url=https://www.jpost.com/bds-threat/article-801638 |access-date=2024-05-18 |website=The Jerusalem Post {{!}} JPost.com |language=en}}

In June 2025, while campaigning for New York City mayor on the podcast The Bulwark, Zohran Mamdani was asked about the phrase "globalize the intifada". He described it as a symbolic call for Palestinian human rights, not for violence or antisemitism, adding, "These words have different meanings for many different people{{nbsp}}... I've been clear that any incitement to violence is something that I'm in opposition to." He said the word "intifada" had been used by the US Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) in Arabic translations referring to Jewish resistance during World War II.{{cite web |last=Tress |first=Luke |date=June 18, 2025 |title=NYC mayoral candidate Mamdani compares Intifada to Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, drawing fire |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/nyc-mayoral-candidate-mamdani-compares-intifada-to-warsaw-ghetto-uprising-drawing-fire/ |access-date=June 19, 2025 |website=The Times of Israel}}{{Cite web |author=Chait, Jonathan |date=June 24, 2025 |title=Why Won't Zohran Mamdani Denounce a Dangerous Slogan? |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/06/zohran-mamdani-globalize-intifada/683300/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.is/BiTKV |archive-date=June 24, 2025 |access-date=June 25, 2025 |publisher=The Atlantic |language=en-US}} When asked about the phrase again on The Brian Lehrer Show later that month, he added, "That is not language that I use. The language that I use is that of clarity, and I do not believe it is the mayor’s position to be policing language."{{Cite web |title=The Mayoral Candidates Make a Final Pitch to Voters {{!}} The Brian Lehrer Show |url=https://www.wnyc.org/story/the-mayoral-candidates-make-a-final-pitch-to-voters/ |access-date=2025-06-28 |website=WNYC |language=en |minutes=37}}

Mamdani's statements in the interview with The Bulwark were condemned by the USHMM itself and 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.{{Cite web |date=June 19, 2025 |title=NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani criticized for 'intifada' remarks |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/nyc-mayoral-candidate-zohran-mamdani-draws-criticism-intifada-remarks-rcna213967 |access-date=June 23, 2025 |website=NBC News |language=en}}{{Cite web |author=Chait, Jonathan |date=June 24, 2025 |title=Why Won’t Zohran Mamdani Denounce a Dangerous Slogan? |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/06/zohran-mamdani-globalize-intifada/683300/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.is/BiTKV |archive-date=June 24, 2025 |access-date=June 25, 2025 |publisher=The Atlantic |language=en-US}}{{cite web |last=Tress |first=Luke |date=June 18, 2025 |title=NYC mayoral candidate Mamdani compares Intifada to Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, drawing fire |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/nyc-mayoral-candidate-mamdani-compares-intifada-to-warsaw-ghetto-uprising-drawing-fire/ |access-date=June 19, 2025 |website=The Times of Israel}}{{Cite web |last=Kramer |first=Marcia |date=June 18, 2025 |title=Zohran Mamdani gets emotional while talking about being a Muslim running for NYC mayor - CBS New York |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/new-york-city-democratic-mayoral-primary-zohran-mamdani-holocaust/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250620021946/https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/new-york-city-democratic-mayoral-primary-zohran-mamdani-holocaust/ |archive-date=June 20, 2025 |access-date=June 20, 2025 |website=CBS News |language=en-US}} In a statement that did not name Mamdani, the USHMM said, "Exploiting the museum and the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising to sanitize 'Globalize the Intifada' is outrageous and especially offensive to survivors. Since 1987, Jews have been attacked and murdered under its banner. All leaders must condemn its use and the abuse of history."{{cite web |last=Tress |first=Luke |date=June 18, 2025 |title=NYC mayoral candidate Mamdani compares Intifada to Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, drawing fire |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/nyc-mayoral-candidate-mamdani-compares-intifada-to-warsaw-ghetto-uprising-drawing-fire/ |access-date=June 19, 2025 |website=The Times of Israel}} Brad Lander, Jewish New York City Comptroller and fellow mayoral candidate, defended Mamdani, saying, "I don't like the phrase{{nbsp}}... but I do believe he will protect Jewish New Yorkers and our rights."{{Cite web |date=June 19, 2025 |title=Divergent focuses for Cuomo, Mamdani in the NYC mayoral race's final sprint |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2025/06/19/cuomo-mamdani-nyc-mayor-00414606 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250620134053/https://www.politico.com/news/2025/06/19/cuomo-mamdani-nyc-mayor-00414606 |archive-date=June 20, 2025 |access-date=June 20, 2025 |website=Politico |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=June 19, 2025 |title=NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani criticized for 'intifada' remarks |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/nyc-mayoral-candidate-zohran-mamdani-draws-criticism-intifada-remarks-rcna213967 |access-date=June 23, 2025 |website=NBC News |language=en}}{{Cite news |last=Robinson |first=Taylor |date=2025-06-24 |title=NYC Mayoral Candidates, Mamdani and Lander, Showcase Unique Alliance on 'The Late Show' |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/24/nyregion/mamdani-lander-colbert-late-show.html |access-date=2025-06-26 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}

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.{{cite web |date=August 1, 2021 |title=Jewish Group Slams New York City Protest Calling to 'Globalize the Intifada' |url=https://www.algemeiner.com/2021/08/01/jewish-org-official-slams-new-york-city-protest-calling-to-globalize-the-intifada/ |website=Algemeiner}} According to The Sunday Telegraph, the phrase has been associated with incitement of violence against Jewish communities. Some Jewish writers including David Hazony 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.{{cite web |title=The War Against the Jews |url=https://sapirjournal.org/war-in-israel/2023/11/the-war-against-the-jews/ |website=Sapir Journal |author=David Hazony |date=October–November 2023}}{{cite web |title=Endorsing Hamas violence isn't just anti-Israel, it's antisemitic |url=https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/commentary/israel-hamas-american-reaction-antisemitism-20231013.html |website=The Philadelphia Inquirer |author=Zev Eleff |author2=Ayal Feinberg |date=October 13, 2023}}{{cite web |title=NYC School Barricades Jewish Students While Activists Call for Blood |url=https://lnnnews.com/nyc-school-barricades-jewish-students-while-activists-call-for-blood/ |website=LNN News |date=October 26, 2023}}{{cite web |last1=Berman |first1=Nora |date=April 1, 2022 |title=Activists are calling to 'globalize the intifada.' It's a call for death, not peace |url=https://forward.com/opinion/484874/activists-are-calling-globalize-intifada-demand-for-death-not-peace/ |website=Forward}} 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.{{cite web |title=Man dies after hitting head at Israel-Palestinian rallies in California, officials say |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/man-dies-hitting-head-israel-palestinian-rallies-california-officials-rcna123942 |publisher=NBC News |author=Phil Helsel |author2=Todd Miyazawa |date=November 7, 2023}}

During a December 2023 United States congressional hearing with presidents of major universities, representative Elise Stefanik argued the use of the term was a call for genocide of Jewish people.{{Cite web |title=How are Harvard, Penn presidents responding to campus anti-Semitism row? |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/12/7/how-are-harvard-penn-presidents-responding-to-campus-anti-semitism-row |access-date=2024-05-12 |website=Al Jazeera |language=en}}

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. During the Gaza war, some opinion writers argued protesters using the slogan were supporters of the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel.{{cite web |author=Matthew Foldi |date=October 9, 2023 |title=Pro-Hamas protests sweep the US |url=https://thespectator.com/topic/pro-hamas-protests-us-washington-dc/ |website=The Spectator}}

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".{{Cite web |last=Cantey |first=Seth |date=2023-12-14 |title=What a congressional hearing got wrong: Calls for intifada are not calls for genocide |url=https://thehill.com/opinion/congress-blog/4359552-what-a-congressional-hearing-got-wrong-calls-for-intifada-are-not-calls-for-genocide/ |access-date=2024-05-12 |website=The Hill |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Flakin |first=Nathaniel |date=2023-12-14 |title=No, Intifada Does Not Mean Genocide Against Jews |url=https://www.leftvoice.org/no-intifada-does-not-mean-genocide-against-jews/ |access-date=2024-05-12 |website=Left Voice |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Kuttab |first=Daoud |date=2023-12-12 |title=Opinion: Reality check — intifada has nothing to do with genocide of Jews |url=https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2023-12-12/antisemitism-elise-stefanik-genocide-intifada-college-presidents |access-date=2024-05-12 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=Palestine Remix |url=https://remix.aljazeera.com/aje/PalestineRemix/mobile/definitions/intifada/ |access-date=2024-05-12 |website=Palestine Remix |language=en}} According to The Forward, though many Jews consider the term to be violent, Palestinians associate "Intifada" with the First Intifada, which was largely non-violent.{{Cite web |last=Fox |first=Mira |date=2023-12-15 |title=So what does 'intifada' actually mean? |url=https://forward.com/culture/573654/intifada-arabic-israeli-hamas-war-meaning-linguistics/ |access-date=2024-05-12 |website=The Forward |language=en}} Some argue the target of "intifada" is the Israeli occupation with the goal of Palestinian independence.

• From the river to the sea
• 2024 pro-Palestinian protests on university campuses
• Israeli apartheid

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Category:Phrases related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

Category:Definition of antisemitism controversy

Category:Palestinian nationalism

Category:Political catchphrases

Category:Anti-Israeli sentiment