What is Intifada? Definition explored after pro-Palestinian protesters pass out maps of pro-Israeli locations in NYC to target

Intifada is an Arabic word that means “shaking off”. However, in the context of Palestinians, the word represents an uprising or revolution started by civilians as a way to stand against the Israeli occupation of the Gaza Strip and West Bank, as per Britannica.

On Friday, November 17, 2023, a crowd of hundreds of Palestinian supporters gathered at Union Square and joined a rally near Bryant Park. They walked to the locations marked on a map with “direct action” to “globalize intifada” written on them as slogans, as per The New York Post.

After a Pro-Palestinian community named Within Our Lifetime made a post on Thursday that has since been deleted, the group made at least five stops in Manhattan. They were asked to target those specific locations.

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The origins of Intifada explored as Pro-Palestinians give away maps of Pro-Israel communities in New York City

Intifada is a rebellion or a civil uprising that was established by Palestinians to stand against the Israeli Government's occupation of the Gaza Strip.

The First Palestinian Intifada began in December 1987 and lasted till 1993 in Gaza. Four civilians were killed in a collision where an Israeli truck smashed into two vans carrying Palestinian workers, according to Palestine Remix.

The second rebellion began on September 28, 2000, and ended on February 8, 2005. According to Britannica, it was sparked by the visit of then-candidate Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

The current Israel-Palestine conflict has been considered the third Intifada, along with two separate incidents, the 2014 Jerusalem unrest and the Gdeim Izik protest camp in 2010, as per Foreign Affairs.

According to CBS News, the death toll in Israel is 1,200 and more than 12,300 civilians have been killed in Gaza since October 7, 2023.

On Thursday, the Within Our Lifetime group posted announcements on their social media for rallies. They also had a since-deleted post that showed maps of New York City with the title:

"From Palestine to NYC. Globalize the Intifada."

These maps were passed out at the gatherings around Manhattan. Ted Deutch, CEO of the American Jewish Committee, gave a statement on X about the maps, as per Newsweek. He said:

"It describes them as the “enemy of the colonized people” and calls for “direct action” to be taken. A reminder: globalizing the intifada is a call to destroy Israel and attack Jews around the world. This is not promoting peace. This is an incitement to violence against Jews and it must be taken seriously."

On Friday, hundreds of Pro-Palestinians showed up outside The New York Times building, and one angry protester held a Palestinian flag while yelling:

“Bomb the New York Times. Bomb the New York Times!”

There were crowds at Penn Station and Moynihan Train Hall while many NYPD officers blocked the entrance to stop the protestors from pushing through the windows, as per Fox News.

Palestine supporters shouted many other chants including, "If Palestine don’t get it, shut it down! Shut it down!", "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free" and "We don’t want no two-state, we want 48!"

The last cheer about the states was about the 1948 United Nations Partition Plan, which created the modern State of Israel, as per The New York Post.

The Long Island Rail Road had posted an advisory note to commuters, warning them to “build in added travel time” because of the crowd of more than 750 Pro-Palestinians standing in the area. Oscar-winning actress Susan Sarandon also attended the rallies.