Podcast Summary: Ask Haviv Anything, Episode 78

Title: "Do you still want to globalize the intifada?"

Host: Haviv Rettig Gur
Date: January 13, 2026

Episode Overview

In this episode, Haviv Rettig Gur tackles a listener’s question at the heart of current Western political discourse: What do Israelis and Palestinians mean when they talk about the “intifada”? He explains the historical context, the shifting meanings for both societies, and why the phrase “globalize the intifada” is deeply fraught—especially for Israelis, who associate it with mass violence and trauma. Haviv’s exploration is both factual and experiential, showing how societal memory shapes the power of words in today’s conflicts.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Definitional Complexities: What is an Intifada?

• Intifada isn't a single, clear concept—its meaning has shifted over time and varies widely among Israelis, Palestinians, and diaspora activists. (00:30)
• For many Palestinians, especially activists abroad, it may mean "uprising against occupation" or even strictly nonviolent protest.
• For most Israelis, however, the word is deeply tied to experiences of violence and terror, especially during the Second Intifada.

"What Israelis understand by the term intifada actually isn’t any one thing. It’s a couple of different things. There’s an arc. The term changed its meaning for Israelis."
— Haviv Rettig Gur (00:28)

2. The First Intifada (1987–1993): Grassroots Uprising and Dilemmas

• Sparked in December 1987 by an Israeli military vehicle killing four Palestinians in a car accident—though this was a trigger, not a cause. (01:00)
• Began as a genuine, grassroots, civilian uprising after 20 years of Israeli military rule, with most Palestinians under direct military authority. (01:50)
• Characterized by stone-throwing children—“the children of the stones”—symbolizing a stark power imbalance. (03:00)
• Included violent attacks and Israeli suppression, but at its heart, it presented a "Palestinian moral argument" to Israeli society. (04:45)

"The first intifada really was a popular uprising. Again, there were other elements, there were other elites that tried to take over... but it began with ordinary civilians."
— Haviv Rettig Gur (02:21)

• Profound impact on the Israeli left, stimulating a moral reckoning and a drive toward peace negotiations. (05:45)
• Key Image: Israeli soldiers facing young children with stones:

"What am I supposed to do? I’m standing there in front of an 11-year-old boy throwing a rock at me. What do I do with an M16?"
— Haviv Rettig Gur (03:34)

3. The Oslo Peace Process and Its Discontents

• The First Intifada led to the Oslo Accords (1993, 1995), opening a formal peace process and aiming for Palestinian statehood within five years. (09:00)
• The Israeli left saw this as a moral and political breakthrough; the right warned of Palestinian intransigence and violence. (10:45)
• Rabin’s assassination in 1995 by an Israeli Jew was experienced by the left as a profound betrayal and a blow to the peace process. (12:17)
• Rise of Benjamin Netanyahu and a hardening right, fueled by Hamas suicide bombings and skepticism about Palestinian intentions. (13:30)
• The right's warning: the Palestinian cause, in their eyes, was not about coexistence but about Israel's destruction. (14:00)

4. The Second Intifada (2000–2005): Trauma and Transformation

• Triggered in September 2000 after failed Camp David talks—coincided with Ariel Sharon’s visit to the Temple Mount, viewed as a provocation by Palestinians. (18:18)
• Marked by unprecedented suicide bombings: "140, give or take, suicide bombings over three years." (20:00)
• Attacks targeted civilians—pizzerias, buses (especially those packed with children), and even the Park Hotel during a Passover Seder ("the Passover massacre"). (21:11)
• The psychological impact was devastating; daily life became fraught with fear and mourning.

"Not a single society in the free world would sustain 140 suicide bombings on any issue and still be capable of having a conversation about that issue."
— Haviv Rettig Gur (22:17)

• Israeli left’s core belief—that ending occupation would bring peace—was shattered. The Israeli left never regained political dominance. (23:45)
• Many suicide bombers were associated directly with official Palestinian security agencies, further eroding trust. (21:50)
• The normalization and even celebration of suicide bombers in Palestinian society (e.g., naming streets after them) deepened Israeli fears and hostility.

5. Why "Globalize the Intifada" is a Red Line for Israelis

• To many diaspora activists, "intifada" may connote protest or legitimate resistance.
• For Israelis, "Intifada means the massacre of Jews at a mass scale until they either fall down and die or agree as a people to wipe themselves out and disappear." (29:11)
• Consequently, when Western activists chant "globalize the intifada," Israelis inevitably hear a call for their annihilation, not protest.

"So when you go out there and you say, globalize the intifada... what the Israeli is hearing is these protests... are about your ultimate destruction."
— Haviv Rettig Gur (30:25)

• This misunderstanding—innocent or not—fundamentally undermines efforts to build Israeli trust or advance peaceful change.
• Key Point: If you want to help Palestinians, you must understand Israeli trauma and how your words are received, not just how you intend them.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “What Israelis understand by the term intifada actually isn’t any one thing. It’s a couple of different things. There’s an arc. The term changed its meaning for Israelis.” (00:28)
• “The first intifada really was a popular uprising... It began with ordinary civilians.” (02:21)
• “Not a single society in the free world would sustain 140 suicide bombings on any issue and still be capable of having a conversation about that issue.” (22:17)
• "Intifada means the massacre of Jews at a mass scale until they either fall down and die or agree as a people to wipe themselves out and disappear." (29:11)
• “When you go out there and you say, globalize the intifada... what the Israeli is hearing is these protests... are about your ultimate destruction.” (30:25)

Important Timestamps

• 00:05–01:00: Introduction and scope of the question
• 01:00–05:30: History and character of the First Intifada
• 05:45–09:00: The Oslo Accords and political transformation in Israel
• 12:17–14:00: Rabin assassination, Israeli divisions, rise of Netanyahu
• 18:18–22:17: Breakdown of the peace process and Second Intifada
• 21:11–22:17: Bombings against civilians, specific attacks' impacts
• 23:45–25:00: Collapse of the Israeli left’s trust in peace
• 29:11–31:00: Modern connotations of “intifada” and implications for activism

Overall Tone & Language

Haviv Rettig Gur speaks with a mixture of analytical distance and personal passion. He persistently clarifies that he is describing experiences, not settling historical truth. His tone is candid, at times somber, and always intent on explaining how collective memory and trauma shape perceptions—especially when words like “intifada” become rallying cries in Western debates.

Takeaway

Anyone using or debating the term “intifada,” especially in Western activist contexts, must grapple with its history and its indelible association with violence and loss for Israelis. To “globalize the intifada” is, for Israelis, not a call for justice or nonviolent protest, but a signal of existential threat—a gulf of understanding that must be reckoned with for any hope of meaningful dialogue or progress.