What does ‘Globalize the Intifada’ mean?
- Uri Pilichowski
- Jun 25
- 3 min read
Over the past twenty months of war between Israel and its enemies since the October 7 massacre, supporters of Palestinians have held demonstrations and rallies across the world. Whether in the streets of London or Brooklyn, some common anti-Israel chants are heard at the pro-Palestinian rallies, including “From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be Free,” “Free Palestine,” and “Globalize the Intifada.” These chants have become contentious, as different communities claim they have very different meanings.
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With New York City’s nearly one million Jews making up the largest Jewish population outside of Israel, mayors of the past have always claimed support for the country with little pushback. But the war in Gaza has fundamentally changed the dynamic: The winner of the New York Democratic primary for mayor, Zohran Mamdani, and his outspoken support for Palestinians galvanized voters.
In one contentious moment of the primary, Mamdani gave an interview with The Bulwark and was asked whether the expression “Globalize the Intifada” made him uncomfortable. In response, he defended the slogan, saying it captured “a desperate desire for equality and equal rights in standing up for Palestinian human rights.” He even said the US Holocaust Museum had used the word “intifada” in Arabic-language descriptions of the 1943 Warsaw Ghetto Uprising against Nazi Germany.
In a post on X, the US Holocaust Memorial Museum decried the comparison of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising with the phrase Globalize the Intifada. “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 their use and the abuse of history.”
‘Is Globalize the Intifada’ a call for Palestinian liberty or violence?
Mamdani’s statement drew fire from Jewish leaders, including the head of the Anti-Defamation League, Jonathan Greenblatt; Ted Deutch, the CEO of the American Jewish Committee; and Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch, the head of New York City’s Stephen Wise Free Synagogue. Deutch wrote, “‘Globalize the intifada' is not a call for justice. It’s a call for violence. It’s incitement… [All candidates] should condemn the use of ‘globalize the intifada' as the call to violence that it is.”
‘Globalize the Intifada’ is a call for civil disobedience
Chloe Skinner is a research fellow at the Institute of Development Studies. She explained the meaning of “Intifada” and Globalize the Intifada: “Referring to a civil uprising, ‘intifada’ is an Arabic term that translates too to a ‘shaking off’ – long used in Palestine to refer to the ‘shaking off’ of the shackles of colonial domination, including through mass civil disobedience, unity and solidarity, boycotts, divestment and sanctions. Beneath the burgeoning death toll across Palestine are global systems of power, rooted in the logic, history and present of colonial violence. As such, in the face of this genocide, the intifada – the ‘shaking off’ of colonial dynamics of racism, violence, dehumanization and division – must be globalized.”
‘Globalize the Intifada’ is a call for violence
The American Jewish Committee wrote, “Globalize the Intifada” is a phrase using the Arabic word for “uprising” or “shaking off,” whose message encourages resistance, most prominently in the form of violence, against Israel. Calls to “globalize” contribute to the targeting of Jews, Israelis, and institutions that support Israel around the world. It is a phrase used by pro-Palestinian activists that calls for aggressive resistance against Israel and those who support Israel. The most prominent expressions of intifada have been through violence, so this phrase is often understood by those saying and hearing it as encouraging violence against Israelis, Jews, and institutions supporting Israel. While the intent of the person saying this phrase may be different, the impact on the Jewish community remains the same.”
Wrap up
While Palestinian activists might claim “Globalize the intifada,” is not a call for violence against Jews but rather it is a call to resist the systemic systems violence being levied against Palestinians, Jews maintain that in practice it is violence against Jews and that calls for “Intifada” should always be understood as such.
Uri Pilichowski is an author, speaker, and senior educator at institutions around the world.