‘Globalize the Intifada’: How “Israel” Confronts External Outrage and Internal Division

Last week, two employees of the Israeli embassy to the United States were killed in an armed attack near the Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C.

This attack is not the first against Israeli targets abroad, but it carries grave symbolic significance, as it occurred in the capital of Tel Aviv's closest ally and coincided with growing global outrage over Israel's genocide in Gaza.

The official Israeli discourse adopted a unified narrative, once again exploiting the pretext of anti-Semitism as a political tool to link the attack in Washington to growing international solidarity with the Palestinians, ignoring the broader political context and repercussions of the Gaza war.

False Accusations

On the evening of May 21, Washington, D.C., witnessed a shooting attack outside the Jewish Heritage Museum, which resulted in the deaths of two Israeli embassy employees.

The single suspect, identified as 31-year-old Elias Rodriguez from Chicago, chanted ‘Free Palestine’ after being taken into custody.

Politicians in Tel Aviv rushed to demonize the attack, labeling it anti-Semitic. 

The Israeli Foreign Ministry ordered the suspension of all public events in the U.S. and the freezing of activities in synagogues for fear of similar attacks.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar stated that there was a direct link between anti-Semitic incitement and the attack in Washington, arguing that the international rhetoric opposing “Israel” since October 7, 2023, had made Israeli diplomats around the world vulnerable to targeting.

He called for an end to what he described as false accusations against “Israel”, pointing the finger at European leaders and officials, whom he accused of fueling the incitement.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in turn, considered the attack the price of international incitement and criticism against “Israel”, calling for increased security measures around diplomatic missions.

Following the attack, the official Israeli discourse expanded to include criminalizing international solidarity movements with Palestinians, particularly the peaceful demonstrations that swept through capitals and major cities around the world, portraying them as a primary instigator of violence.

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich described the attack as an anti-Semitic crime aimed at denying the existence of “the State of Israel”, considering it an extension of a wave of hatred targeting “Israel” on an existential level.

Amichai Chikli, Minister of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Anti-Semitism, accused the leaders of France, the UK, and Canada of being responsible for the attack due to their failure to draw moral red lines in the face of what he described as a global campaign of hatred.

He linked solidarity with Palestine to incitement to violence and murder, presenting a narrative that completely ignores the context of the ongoing Israeli war in Gaza and the violations committed against Palestinians throughout the occupied territories.

Incitement and Hate

Israeli officials were not alone in their claims and narratives linking the Washington attack to global incitement against “Israel” and the Jews; opposition officials adopted the same context and framing.

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid described the killing of the embassy staff as a direct result of the incitement we have witnessed in demonstrations around the world.

He also reiterated the slogan ‘globalize the intifada’, saying: “This is what they have always intended,” indicating that calls for an uprising for Palestine actually translate into acts of terrorism.

Israel’s opposition National Unity Party leader Benny Gantz stated: “What starts as ‘globalize the intifada’ on college campuses not surprisingly ends in cowardly murder shouting ‘free Palestine’ on the streets.”

The Israeli media exploited the perpetrator's chant (Freedom for Palestine) to portray the attack as a direct result of incitement at Gaza solidarity marches, noting that Rodriguez was influenced by anti-Israel propaganda online and had previously been involved in left-wing pro-Palestinian activities in the U.S.

Yedioth Ahronoth described the attack as a terrorist act, while Israel Hayom published a clear statement stating that the attacker was motivated by anti-Semitic hatred.

Most Israeli media outlets adopted the Netanyahu government's official narrative in explaining the attack, focusing their coverage on linking the operation to a global climate of incitement against “Israel” that coincided with the escalation of international protests against the war in Gaza.

Israeli media also used government slogans such as ‘globalize the intifada’ to refer to the growing security threat against Israelis abroad.

In Israel Hayom, an analytical article held the global wave of incitement directly responsible for the attack, warning that calls to globalize the intifada after Operation Flood of Al-Aqsa made such an attack only a matter of time.

The article considered the attack the most dangerous against Jewish communities since the 2018 Pittsburgh attack, reasserting the narrative that Jews are now a global target.

The right-wing Channel 14 emphasized that advance warnings were sufficient to alert the public to the possibility of a similar attack, viewing the attack as an extension of a series of attacks against Jews abroad, fueled by anti-Israel incitement and propaganda.

Internal Disputes

The official Israeli narrative following the Washington attack was not limited to placing external responsibility for the attack; it was also used to level internal accusations between parties on the right and left within “Israel”.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said that anti-Semites around the world are supported by corrupt politicians in “Israel” who accuse our soldiers of killing children as a hobby.

Culture Minister Miki Zohar considered the false accusations of genocide and war crimes promoted by Israeli politicians to be among the factors that led to the attack in Washington.

Heritage Minister Amihai Eliyahu accused Democratic Party leader Yair Golan of spreading bloody slander, holding him responsible for the attack in Washington.

Minister Chikli also leveled accusations against Golan, saying: “Anyone who spreads lies, compares Israel to the Nazis, accuses the Israeli soldiers of committing war crimes and killing children is a full accomplice to the outcome.”

On the other hand, Yair Golan rejected all previous accusations and held Netanyahu responsible for the deadly attack in Washington.

He also pointed out that the Netanyahu government is fueling anti-Semitism and hatred of “Israel”, warning that the result is unprecedented diplomatic isolation and a threat to every Jew anywhere on earth.

For his part, Israeli President Isaac Herzog opposed the accusations exchanged between the ministers and Golan, calling for an end to internal disputes and accusations.

He addressed Israeli officials, saying: “Stop these dirty battles. Control your statements. We must work together decisively in the war against hatred and anti-Semitism, not engage in an internal war among ourselves.”

Golan had stated last week that “Israel” is on its way to becoming a pariah state like South Africa during apartheid," emphasizing that a rational state does not fight civilians, kill children as a hobby, or displace residents.

In turn, political analyst Qassim Ezzedine explained to Al-Estiklal that “between Washington and Gaza, Israel's image as a victim is cracking, and its masks are falling off before the world's audiences.”

“The attack in the heart of the American capital is not an end, but rather an amazing turning point: silence is dead, and even the Western world has begun to see the truth and respond to it,” he added.

“Despite Tel Aviv's attempts to conceal the truth under the slogan of ‘anti-Semitism’ and ‘globalize the intifada’ has become a reality that is difficult to curb”, Mr. Ezzedine concluded.

Globalize the Intifada

Israelis fear that their massacres in the Gaza Strip could turn sympathy for the Palestinians into a movement against all Jewish interests worldwide.

‘Globalize the intifada’ is a phrase used by pro-Palestinian activists, calling for nonviolent resistance against “Israel” and its supporters.

Some see this chant as an open call for violence against Jews — recently in Congress, Rep. Elise Stefanik framed it as a call for Jewish genocide. 

But others say it is a peaceful term, calling for a nonviolent uprising against Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and blockade on the Gaza Strip.

‘Globalize the intifada’ has been used as a chant in many anti-Zionist protests, along with similar slogans such as ‘No solution except through intifada and revolution’ or ‘Intifada until victory’.

In April 2002, anti-war protesters in the U.S. held up signs bearing this slogan in the wake of the Second Palestinian Intifada and the Iraq War.

The slogan has also been used ‘Globalize the Intifada’ against the recent Israeli war on the Gaza Strip. According to its users, the slogan was chosen as a rallying cry to resist what they see as colonial oppression.

In October 2023, pro-Palestinian protesters chanted ‘Globalize the Intifada’ near a library building housing Jewish students in New York.

In November 2023, the pro-Palestinian group WOL published a leaflet titled ‘Globalize the Intifada’ with a map of Israeli and American businesses and transport hubs.

In December 2023, the use of ‘Globalize the Intifada’ signs led to nine arrests in London under public order laws.

In May 2024, pro-Palestinian protesters in central London used a similar slogan, ‘Intifada, Revolution’, prompting the Metropolitan Police to take action.

Since October 7, 2023, “Israel”, with full US support, has been waging a genocidal war in Gaza, including killing, starvation, destruction, and forced displacement, ignoring calls from the international community and orders from the International Court of Justice to halt it.

This genocide has left more than 175,000 Palestinians dead and wounded, most of them children and women, and more than 11,000 missing, in addition to hundreds of thousands of displaced persons and a famine that has killed many.