Intifada
Intifada (Arabic: انتفاضة, romanized: intifāḍah) is an Arabic word for a rebellion or uprising, or a resistance movement. It can also be used to refer to a civilian uprising against oppression.[1][2]
In the 20th century, the word intifada has been used in to describe various uprisings. In the Iraqi Intifada in 1952, Iraqi parties took to the streets to protest their monarchy.[3] Other later examples include the Western Sahara's Zemla Intifada, the First Sahrawi Intifada, and the Second Sahrawi Intifada.[4] In the context of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, 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).[5][6][7]
In Arabic-language usage, any uprising can be referred to as an intifada, including the 1916 Easter Rising,[8] the 1943 Warsaw Ghetto Uprising,[9] and the 1949 Jeju uprising.[10] When used in English outside of the Arab World, the word has primarily referred to the two Palestinian uprisings against Israeli occupation.[11][12][13][14]
Lexical information
Morphology
Intifāḍa (انتفاضة) is an Arabic maṣdar (مصدر), or verbal noun, 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.[15]: 1157 The verb انتفض intafaḍa is in the verb form اِفْتَعَلَ iftaʿala, referred to in Western sources as 'form VIII,' denoting reflexivity."[15]: 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 (jo with); to sheke of from oneself (i s.th.); to wake up, come to consciousness," and of its verbal noun انتفاضة intifāḍa as a "shiver, shudder, tremor; awakening (pol.); popular uprising."[15]: 1157
Israeli–Palestinian conflict
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.[1][16] The term was originally chosen to signify "aggressive nonviolent resistance";[17] in the 1980s, Palestinian students adopted intifada as less confrontational than terms in earlier militant rhetoric since it bore no connotation of violence.[18] 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 phrase "Globalize the intifada" is a slogan used to promote worldwide activism in solidarity with Palestinian resistance. The phrase and those associated with it have caused controversy, particularly concerning their impact and connotations. Critics have claimed it encourages widespread violence or terrorism.[19][20][21]
List of events named Intifada
In Arabic-language texts, uprisings anywhere can be referred to using the word intifada, including, for example, the 1916 Easter Rising (Arabic: انتفاضة الفصح),[8] the 1943 Warsaw Ghetto Uprising (Arabic: انتفاضة غيتو وارسو),[9] and the 1949 Jeju uprising (Arabic: انتفاضة جيجو).[10]
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[3]
- 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[22]
- March Intifada, a leftist uprising against the British colonial presence in Bahrain in March 1965[23]
- Zemla Intifada, against Spanish colonial rule in then Spanish Sahara, in June 1970[24]
- In Lebanese internal conflicts:
- February 6 Intifada (1984), during the Lebanese Civil War[25]
- Cedar Revolution or "Intifada of Independence", the events in Lebanon after Rafic Hariri's 2005 assassination[26]
- The 1984 Egyptian intifada, (October 1, 1984 - October 2, 1984), a bloody uprising and civil resistance movement[27]
- 1990s uprising in Bahrain, an uprising demanding a return to democratic rule, also known as the "1990s Intifada"[28]
- 1991 Iraqi uprisings, an armed uprising against Saddam Hussein in Iraq, also known as "Iraqi Intifada of 1991"[29]
- In the Western Sahara conflict:
- First Sahrawi Intifada, protests by Sahrawi activists in the Western Sahara, south of Morocco (1999–2004)[4]
- Second Sahrawi Intifada or Independence Intifada, demonstrations and riots in Western Sahara, south of Morocco, beginning in May 2005[4]
- Gdeim Izik protest camp, also referred as Third Sahrawi Intifada or simply Third Intifada[30]
- 2005 French riots referred to be the historian Andrew Hussey as "the French Intifada"[31]
- Arab Spring, a revolutionary wave which began on 18 December 2010 in Tunisia, sometimes referred to as "Intifada":
- Tunisian Revolution, or Tunisian Intifada[32]
- Yemeni Revolution, or Yemeni Intifada[33]
- 2011 Egyptian revolution, or Egyptian Intifada[34]
- 2011–2013 Sudanese protests, or Sudanese Intifada[35]
- 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[36]
- 2019–2021 Iraqi protests, nicknamed Iraqi Intifada[37]
- In the Israeli–Palestinian conflict:
- March 1982 Palestinian general strike, a significant wave of protests in the occupied Palestinian territories after the Israeli government ordered the dissolution of West Bank city councils elected in 1976, sometimes referred to as the "Intifada of 1982"[38][39] or the "Spring Uprising,"[40] or as part of a "Revolt Against the Civil Administration" that began in late 1981.[41]
- First Intifada, a Palestinian uprising against the Israeli occupation lasting from December 1987 to 1993[42]
- Second Intifada, also called Al-Aqsa Intifada, an uprising against Israeli occupation leading to intensification of Israeli-Palestinian violence, which began in late September 2000 and ended around 2005[6]
- 2014 Jerusalem unrest, a series of violent acts and attacks in Jerusalem in 2014 sometimes referred to as "Intifada"[43]
- 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"[44]
- 2021 Israel–Palestine crisis, also known as the "Unity Intifada"[45]
- Ongoing Gaza war, referred to by some commentators as the Third Intifada[46]
- 2024 pro-Palestinian protests on university campuses, nicknamed the "student intifada" by activists and critics[47]
See also
- The Electronic Intifada, an online publication which covers the Israeli–Palestinian conflict from a Palestinian perspective
- Serhildan, sometimes considered the Kurdish equivalent to "intifada".[48]
- International Conference on Supporting Palestine Intifada
- Revolution
References
- ^ a b 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.' (transl. 'The concept of the Intifada, which contains the idea of a legitimate protest against oppression, is currently a key concept in the Arab world and has a great emotional appeal')
- ^ Jack A. Goldstone (29 April 2015). The Encyclopedia of Political Revolutions. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-135-93765-2. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
The word intifada means to throw off something that oppresses.
- ^ a b Karol Sorby (2003). "THE 1952 UPRISING IN IRAQ AND REGENT'S ROLE IN ITS CRUSHING (Iraq from al-watba to al-intifāda: 1949 - 1952)" (PDF). Institute of Oriental and African Studies, Slovak Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
- ^ a b c Randa Farah (2010). "Sovereignty on Borrowed Territory: Sahrawi Identity in Algeria". Georgetown Journal of International Affairs. 11 (2). JSTOR: 59–66. JSTOR 43133843. Archived from the original on 30 May 2023. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
- ^ "What is an intifada?". The Economist. ISSN 0013-0613. Archived from the original on 26 April 2024. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
- ^ a b Beauchamp, Zack (20 November 2018). "What were the intifadas?". Vox. Archived from the original on 10 January 2024. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
- ^ "Intifadas: What you need to know – DW – 12/07/2017". DW. Archived from the original on 18 April 2024. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
- ^ a b "الإيرلنديون يحيون ذكرى انتفاضة الفصح ضد البريطانيين". الجزيرة نت (in Arabic). Retrieved 22 May 2024.
- ^ a b "في الذكرى الـ80 للانتفاضة ـ هذا ما حدث في "غيتو وارسو"". Deutsche Welle (in Arabic). 19 April 2023. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
في 19 أبريل 1943، بدأت الانتفاضة الأولى ضد النظام النازي On 19 April 1943, the first intifada began against the Nazi regime
- ^ a b "في أسبوع: "القيامة" و"رهبان صبية" وانتفاضة "جيجو"". BBC News عربي (in Arabic). Retrieved 22 May 2024.
- ^ Araj, Bader; Brym, Robert J., Intifada at the Encyclopædia Britannica
- ^ Harper, Douglas. "Intifada". Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
- ^ "Intifada". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/OED/8307098503. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
- ^ Shulevitz, Judith (8 May 2024). "Listen to What They're Chanting". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on 5 June 2024. Retrieved 12 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.
- ^ a b c Wehr, Hans; Cowan, J. Milton (1976). A dictionary of modern written Arabic. Thomas Leiper Kane Collection (Library of Congress. Hebraic Section) (4th ed.). Ithaca, N.Y: Spoken Language Services. ISBN 978-0-87950-001-6.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Mary Elizabeth King, A Quiet Revolution: The First Palestinian Intifada and Nonviolent Resistance, Nation Books 2007 p.208
- ^ "Amid terror wave in Israel, New York BDS group calls to 'globalize intifada' at rally". JNS. 31 March 2022.
- ^ "Pro-Palestinian NYC Rally Features "Globalize the Intifada" Chants". Jewish Journal. 2 August 2021. Archived from the original on 12 November 2023. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
- ^ Luke Tress (25 October 2023). "Antisemitic incidents have spiked in New York since Hamas attack on Israel, NYPD says". The Forward.
- ^ Berridge, W. J. (29 January 2015). Civil Uprisings in Modern Sudan: The 'Khartoum Springs' of 1964 and 1985. Bloomsbury. ISBN 978-1-4725-7402-2.
- ^ "لندن ناقشت أحداث البحرين مع واشنطن وسط مؤشر تحويل النفوذ في الخليج لأميركا - بانوراما - صحيفة الوقت البحرينية - يومية سياسية مستقلة". Archived from the original on 7 July 2011.
- ^ "Western Sahara: 44th Anniversary of Zemla Uprising". allafrica.com. Archived from the original on 1 July 2014. Retrieved 6 November 2016.(subscription required)
- ^ Glass, Charles (July 2006). "Lebanon Agonistes". CounterPunch. Archived from the original on 5 January 2009. Retrieved 17 October 2009.
- ^ Haugbolle, Sune (10 May 2024). "Spatial Transformations in the Lebanese "Independence Intifada"". The Arab Studies Journal. 14 (2): 60–77. JSTOR 27933971.
- ^ "Egypt cuts food prices". Pittsburgh Post. 2 October 1984. Archived from the original on 2 March 2020. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
- ^ Political Repression in Bahrain. Cambridge Middle East Studies. Cambridge University Press. 10 May 2024. ISBN 978-1-108-47143-5.
- ^ "Slippery Slope: Libya and the Lessons of Previous No-Fly Zones | the Washington Institute".
- ^ "Looking back, looking forward: inheriting the revolutions of the 'Arab Spring' | openDemocracy". Archived from the original on 9 May 2024. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
- ^ MacDonald, Megan C. (2016). "The French intifada: The long war between France and its Arabs". The Journal of North African Studies. 21: 156–158. doi:10.1080/13629387.2015.1101954.
- ^ al-Qubbi, Murshed. "The Tunisian Revolution: An Analysis of Analyses" (PDF). Doha Institute for Graduate Studies. Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
- ^ Liebich, Don (24 May 2016). Fault Lines, the New Updated Edition: Understanding America's Role in the Middle East and the Circumstances Leading to the Rise of ISIS. Elevate. ISBN 978-1-943425-60-0.
- ^ "The Egyptian Uprising: A Case Study in Intifadat and the Difficulty of Lasting Change - the SAIS Review of International Affairs". 16 April 2013.
- ^ "Civil Uprisings in Modern Sudan | ResearchGate".
- ^ "Lebanon protests: Thousands demand 'fall of the regime' in Beirut".
- ^ Hadid, Foulath (10 May 2024). Iraq's Democratic Moment. Hurst & Company. ISBN 978-1-84904-218-5.
- ^ Suzuki, Hiroyuki (2013). "Understanding the Palestinian Intifada of 1987". Annals of Japan Association for Middle East Studies. Retrieved 24 July 2025.
- ^ Jamjoum, Hazem Mohammad (2012). "The Village Leagues : Israel's native authority and the 1981-1982 Intifada". American University of Beirut. Retrieved 24 July 2025.
- ^ Bregman, Ahron. Cursed Victory: A History of Israel and the Occupied Territories. Penguin UK, 2014.
- ^ Rabbani, Mouin (1 May 1988). "Israel and the Palestinians, 1948-1988". Middle East Research and Information Project. Retrieved 24 July 2025.
- ^ "History Illustrated: The first Intifada against Israel".
- ^ Marder, Michael (16 November 2021). Senses of Upheaval. Anthem Press. ISBN 978-1-83998-228-6.
- ^ NGO: Israeli army has killed 49 children since October Archived 2016-02-18 at the Wayback Machine. MEMO, 17 February 2016
- ^ "Why there is no uprising in the West Bank – yet". Mondoweiss. 5 July 2024. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
- ^ "Hamas-Israel escalation: What we know so far, and whether it could lead to the Third Intifada". 7 October 2023. Archived from the original on 7 October 2023. Retrieved 8 October 2023.
- ^
- Makoii, Akhtar (8 May 2024). "Pro-Palestinian protesters project 'student intifada' slogan onto university". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 9 May 2024. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
Police cleared a pro-Palestinian tent encampment at George Washington University on Wednesday after protesters projected a US flag in flames and slogans including "Long live the student intifada" onto a building overnight.
- Alvarez, Maximillian (3 May 2024). "Inside the 'Student Intifada': A roundtable with campus organizers". The Real News Network. Archived from the original on 9 May 2024. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
It is being called the Student Intifada, a grassroots protest movement spreading to different college and university campuses around the country involving students at over a hundred campuses, setting up encampments, occupations and protests (...)
- Starr, Michael (7 May 2024). "'Student intifada here to stay': Harvard activists defy suspension threat". The Jerusalem Post. Archived from the original on 10 May 2024. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
Anti-Israel activists groups defied Harvard University warnings that their protest encampment must dissolve under threat of suspension, proclaiming the campus occupation movement a "student intifada" in a press conference on Monday.
- Makoii, Akhtar (8 May 2024). "Pro-Palestinian protesters project 'student intifada' slogan onto university". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 9 May 2024. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
- ^ "Children of the repression". the Guardian. 5 June 2006. Archived from the original on 11 February 2021. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
External links
- Hussey, Andrew (23 February 2014). "The French Intifada: how the Arab banlieues are fighting the French state". The Guardian.
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