Intifada Explained

Intifada (Arabic: انتفاضة|translit={{transl|ar|DIN|intifāḍah) is an Arabic word for a rebellion or uprising, or a resistance movement. It can be used to refer to an uprising against oppression.^{[1] [2]}

The word intifada was first used in modern times in 1952, when Iraqi parties took to the streets to protest their monarchy, which was known as the Iraqi Intifada. Other later examples include the Western Sahara's Zemla Intifada, the First Sahrawi Intifada, and the Second Sahrawi Intifada. In the Israeli-Palestinian conflict context, it refers to uprising by Palestinian people against Israeli occupation or Israel, involving both violent and nonviolent methods of resistance, including the First Intifada (1987–1993) and the Second Intifada (2000–2005).^{[3] [4] [5]}

In English-language usage, the word primarily refers to Palestinian uprisings against Israeli occupation.^{[6] [7]} While in Arabic-language usage, uprisings globally can be referred to as intifada, including for example, the 1916 Easter Rising, the 1943 Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, and the 1949 Jeju uprising.

Etymology

Intifada is an Arabic word literally meaning, as a noun, "tremor", "shivering", "shuddering".^{[8] [9]} It is derived from an Arabic term nafada meaning "to shake", "shake off", "get rid of",^[10] as a dog might shrug off water, or as one might shake off sleep,^[11] or dirt from one's sandals.

History

In the Palestinian context, the word refers to attempts to "shake off" the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip in the First and Second Intifadas,^{[1] [12]} where it was originally chosen to connote "aggressive nonviolent resistance",^[8] a meaning it bore among Palestinian students in struggles in the 1980s and which they adopted as less confrontational than terms in earlier militant rhetoric since it bore no nuance of violence.^[13] The First Intifada was characterized by protests and violent riots, especially stone-throwing, while 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 with the relatively less violent nature of the First Intifada.

Israeli–Palestinian conflict

See main article: Globalize the Intifada.

See also: First Intifada and Second Intifada. The term Intifada, in context of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict refers to major Palestinian uprisings against Israeli control, with the First Intifada occurring between 1987 and 1993 and the Second Intifada between 2000 and 2005, both involving numerous attacks against Israeli civilians and security forces.

The phrase "Globalize the Intifada" is a slogan used to promote worldwide activism in solidarity with the Palestinian resistance. The chant and its associated chants have caused controversy, particularly concerning their impact and connotations. Critics claimed it encourages widespread violence or terrorism.^{[14] [15] [16]}

List of events named Intifada

In Arabic texts, uprisings anywhere can be referred to using the Arabic word "intifada", including, for example, the 1916 Easter Rising (Arabic: انتفاضة الفصح),^[17] the 1943 Warsaw Ghetto Uprising (Arabic: انتفاضة غيتو وارسو),^[18] and the 1949 Jeju uprising (Arabic: انتفاضة جيجو).^[19]

In English, the word may refer to these events, overwhelmingly in the Arabic-speaking world:

• Iraqi Intifada, a series of strikes and riots in Iraq in 1952, aimed against the Hashemite monarchy rule^[20]
• October Revolution, a series of strikes, riots, and demonstrations in Sudan, that ended with the dissolution of the Abbud military regime and the beginning of second civilian rule in 1964^[21]
• March Intifada, a leftist uprising against the British colonial presence in Bahrain in March 1965^[22]
• Zemla Intifada, against Spanish colonial rule in then Spanish Sahara, in June 1970^[23]
• In Lebanese internal conflicts:
  • February 6 Intifada (1984), during the Lebanese Civil War^[24]
  • Cedar Revolution or "Intifada of Independence", the events in Lebanon after Rafic Hariri's 2005 assassination^[25]
• The 1984 Egyptian intifada, (October 1, 1984 - October 2, 1984), a bloody uprising and civil resistance movement^[26]
• In the Israeli–Palestinian conflict:
  • First Intifada, a Palestinian uprising against the Israeli occupation lasting from December 1987 to 1993^[27]
  • Second Intifada, also called Al-Aqsa Intifada, a period of intensified Israeli-Palestinian violence, which began in late September 2000 and ended around 2005^[28]
  • 2014 Jerusalem unrest, a series of violent acts and attacks in Jerusalem in 2014 sometimes referred to as "Intifada"^[29]
  • 2015–2016 wave of violence in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict – 2015 escalation in Israeli–Palestinian conflict, sometimes referred to as "Al-Quds Intifada" or "Jerusalem Intifada" or "Knife Intifada"^[30]
  • 2023-present Israel–Hamas war, referred to by some commentators as the Third Intifada^[31]
    • The ongoing international 2024 pro-Palestinian protests on university campuses, related to the war and sometimes referred to as the Student Intifada
• 1990s uprising in Bahrain, an uprising demanding a return to democratic rule, also known as the "1990s Intifada"^[32]
• 1991 Iraqi uprisings, an armed uprising against Saddam Hussein in Iraq, also known as "Iraqi Intifada of 1991"^[33]
• In the Western Sahara conflict:
  • First Sahrawi Intifada, protests by Sahrawi activists in the Western Sahara, south of Morocco (1999–2004)^[34]
  • Second Sahrawi Intifada or Independence Intifada, demonstrations and riots in Western Sahara, south of Morocco, beginning in May 2005
  • Gdeim Izik protest camp, also referred as Third Sahrawi Intifada or simply Third Intifada^[35]
• 2005 French riots referred to be the historian Andrew Hussey as "the French Intifada"^[36]
• Arab Spring, a revolutionary wave which began on 18 December 2010 in Tunisia, sometimes referred to as "Intifada":
  • Tunisian Revolution, or Tunisian Intifada^[37]
  • Yemeni Revolution, or Yemeni Intifada^[38]
  • 2011 Egyptian revolution, or Egyptian Intifada^[39]
  • 2011–2013 Sudanese protests, or Sudanese Intifada^[40]
• Second Arab Spring, a series of anti-government protests in several Arab countries starting in late 2019, also known as "Arab Spring 2.0":
  • 17 October Revolution, nicknamed the Tax Intifada^[41]
  • 2019–2021 Iraqi protests, nicknamed Iraqi Intifada^[42]

See also

• The Electronic Intifada, an online publication which covers the Israeli–Palestinian conflict from a Palestinian perspective
• Globalize the Intifada, slogan that has been used for advocating for global activism in support of Palestinian resistance
• Serhildan, sometimes considered the Kurdish equivalent to "intifada".^[43]
• International Conference on Supporting Palestine Intifada

External links

• Andrew Hussey, book 'The French Intifada: how the Arab banlieues are fighting the French state,' The Guardian 23 February 2014

Notes and References

1. Ute Meinel, Die Intifada im Ölscheichtum Bahrain: Hintergründe des Aufbegehrens von 1994–1998, LIT Verlag Münster, 2003 p.10: 'Der Begriff der Intifada, der die Vorstellung eines legitimen Ausbebegehrens gegen Unterdrückung enthält, ist gegenwärtig ein Schlüsselbegriff in der arabischen Welt, von dem eine grosse emotionale Anziehungskraft ausgeht.'
2. Book: The Encyclopedia of Political Revolutions. Routledge. Jack A. Goldstone. 3 May 2024. 29 April 2015. 978-1-135-93765-2. The word intifada means to throw off something that oppresses..
3. News: What is an intifada? . 2024-01-28 . The Economist . 0013-0613.
4. Web site: Beauchamp . Zack . 2018-11-20 . What were the intifadas? . 2024-01-28 . Vox . en.
5. Web site: Intifadas: What you need to know – DW – 12/07/2017 . 2024-01-28 . DW . en.
6. Intifada. 8307098503.
7. Listen to What They're Chanting. Judith. Shulevitz. The Atlantic. 8 May 2024. Etymologically, intifada denotes a shaking-off, but in contemporary Arabic, it means an uprising: For instance, a 1952 uprising in Iraq against the Hashemite monarchy is referred to in Arabic as an intifada. But in English, including in English-language dictionaries and encyclopedias, the word refers primarily to two periods of sustained Palestinian revolt, the First and Second Intifadas..
8. Mary K.Roberson, 'Birth, Transformation, and Death of Refugee Identity: Women and Girls of the Intifada,' in Ellen Cole,Esther D Rothblum,Oliva M Espin (eds.) Refugee Women and Their Mental Health: Shattered Societies, Shattered Lives, Routledge, 2013 p.42.
9. Ellen Canterow, 'Beita,' in Zachary Lockman, Joel Beinin, (eds), Intifada: The Palestinian Uprising Against Israeli Occupation, South End Press, 1989 pp.81-98 p.81
10. Book: Robson . Laura . The Politics of Mass Violence in the Middle East . 2020 . Oxford University Press . Oxford, UK . 9780198825036.
11. David Pratt, Intifada, Casemate Publishers, 2009 p.20
12. Sharif Kanana, 'Women in the Legends of the Intifada,' in Suha Sabbagh (ed.), Palestinian Women of Gaza and the West Bank, Indiana University Press, 1998 p.114.
13. Mary Elizabeth King, A Quiet Revolution: The First Palestinian Intifada and Nonviolent Resistance, Nation Books 2007 p.208
14. Web site: March 31, 2022 . Amid terror wave in Israel, New York BDS group calls to 'globalize intifada' at rally . JNS.
15. Web site: Pro-Palestinian NYC Rally Features "Globalize the Intifada" Chants . November 12, 2023 . Jewish Journal. 2 August 2021 .
16. Web site: Luke Tress . October 25, 2023 . Antisemitic incidents have spiked in New York since Hamas attack on Israel, NYPD says . The Forward.
17. Web site: الإيرلنديون يحيون ذكرى انتفاضة الفصح ضد البريطانيين . 2024-05-22 . الجزيرة نت . ar.
18. Web site: في الذكرى الـ80 للانتفاضة ـ هذا ما حدث في "غيتو وارسو". Arabic. Deutsche Welle. 3 May 2024. 19 April 2023. في 19 أبريل 1943، بدأت الانتفاضة الأولى ضد النظام النازي On 19 April 1943, the first intifada began against the Nazi regime.
19. News: في أسبوع: "القيامة" و"رهبان صبية" وانتفاضة "جيجو" . 2024-05-22 . BBC News عربي . ar.
20. Web site: THE 1952 UPRISING IN IRAQ AND REGENT'S ROLE IN ITS CRUSHING (Iraq from al-watba to al-intifāda: 1949 - 1952). 3 May 2024. 2003. Institute of Oriental and African Studies, Slovak Academy of Sciences. Karol Sorby.
21. Book: Civil Uprisings in Modern Sudan: The 'Khartoum Springs' of 1964 and 1985 . 978-1-4725-7402-2 . Berridge . W. J. . 29 January 2015 . Bloomsbury .
22. Web site: لندن ناقشت أحداث البحرين مع واشنطن وسط مؤشر تحويل النفوذ في الخليج لأميركا - بانوراما - صحيفة الوقت البحرينية - يومية سياسية مستقلة . https://web.archive.org/web/20110707121746/http://www.alwaqt.com/art.php?aid=101780 . 7 July 2011 .
23. News: Western Sahara: 44th Anniversary of Zemla Uprising. 6 November 2016. allafrica.com.
24. Lebanon Agonistes . 2009-10-17 . Glass . Charles . July 2006 . Charles Glass . CounterPunch . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090105182548/http://www.charlesglass.net/archives/2006/07/lebanon_agonist.html . 5 January 2009 .
25. Spatial Transformations in the Lebanese "Independence Intifada" . 27933971 . Haugbolle . Sune . The Arab Studies Journal . 10 May 2024 . 14 . 2 . 60–77 .
26. News: Egypt cuts food prices. 28 April 2013. Pittsburgh Post. 1984-10-02.
27. Web site: History Illustrated: The first Intifada against Israel .
28. Web site: What were the intifadas? . 20 November 2018 .
29. Book: Senses of Upheaval . 978-1-83998-228-6 . Marder . Michael . 16 November 2021 . Anthem Press .
30. https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/middle-east/23974-ngo-israeli-army-has-killed-49-children-since-october NGO: Israeli army has killed 49 children since October
31. Web site: Hamas-Israel escalation: What we know so far, and whether it could lead to the Third Intifada . 7 October 2023 .
32. Book: Political Repression in Bahrain . 978-1-108-47143-5 . Cambridge Middle East Studies . 10 May 2024 . Cambridge University Press .
33. Web site: Slippery Slope: Libya and the Lessons of Previous No-Fly Zones | the Washington Institute .
34. Sovereignty on Borrowed Territory: Sahrawi Identity in Algeria. JSTOR. 3 May 2024. 2010. Randa Farah. Georgetown Journal of International Affairs . 11 . 2 . 59–66 . 43133843 .
35. Web site: Looking back, looking forward: inheriting the revolutions of the 'Arab Spring' | openDemocracy.
36. The French intifada: The long war between France and its Arabs . 10.1080/13629387.2015.1101954 . 2016 . MacDonald . Megan C. . The Journal of North African Studies . 21 . 156–158 .
37. https://www.dohainstitute.org/en/lists/ACRPS-PDFDocumentLibrary/The_Tunisian_Revolution_An_Analysis_of_Analyses.pdf
38. Book: Fault Lines, the New Updated Edition: Understanding America's Role in the Middle East and the Circumstances Leading to the Rise of ISIS . 978-1-943425-60-0 . Liebich . Don . 24 May 2016 . Elevate .
39. Web site: The Egyptian Uprising: A Case Study in Intifadat and the Difficulty of Lasting Change - the SAIS Review of International Affairs . 16 April 2013 .
40. Web site: Civil Uprisings in Modern Sudan | ResearchGate .
41. Web site: Lebanon protests: Thousands demand 'fall of the regime' in Beirut .
42. Book: Iraq's Democratic Moment . 978-1-84904-218-5 . Hadid . Foulath . 10 May 2024 . Hurst & Company .
43. Web site: June 5, 2006 . Children of the repression . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210211075559/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2006/jun/05/turkey.iantraynor . February 11, 2021 . January 30, 2021 . the Guardian.