Why Intifada Calls Fuel Antisemitism

On 29 April, two Jewish men were stabbed in Golders Green. Their assailant was a British-Somali man, Essa Suleiman, who had travelled to the area with a knife in hand, ready to stab any Jews he came across. The victims—aged 34 and 76—were hospitalised as a result of their injuries. When police apprehended the attacker, he refused to give up his knife. As he lay on the ground, after having been tased, he started repeatedly shouting “praise Allah.”

Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia (HAYI), an Islamist group with alleged links to the Iranian regime, claimed responsibility for the stabbing, which the Metropolitan Police declared to have been a terrorist incident. This came after weeks of anti-Jewish incidents in north London, where the majority of Britain’s Jewish population lives, including an arson attack that destroyed four Hatzola ambulances in Golders Green on 23 March, for which HAYI also took responsibility.

HAYI is a murky new organisation. Its name translates as “the Islamic Movement of the Companions of the Right,” meaning those destined to go to heaven. It appears to have surfaced in early March, when a Telegram post purporting to speak for the group announced the start of “military operations” against American and Israeli interests. Since then, the group—or people using its branding—has claimed a series of attacks on Jewish targets in Europe and Britain.

HAYI first came to people’s notice in the UK following the attack on the Hatzola ambulances. (Hatzola, meaning “rescue,” is a volunteer-run, first-responder service, organised and funded by the Jewish community.) Three hooded figures were caught on CCTV pouring accelerant over the vehicles before setting them alight. Oxygen canisters exploded in the fire and four ambulances were damaged or destroyed. HAYI posted a video claiming responsibility, with text in Hebrew, English, and Arabic. The group has since claimed further attacks on Jewish-linked sites in London, including property connected with Jewish charities and synagogues.

For years, anti-Israel activists have been calling on people to “globalise the intifada,” demands that have been growing ever louder since 7 October 2023. Intifada is an Arabic word meaning “uprising” or “shaking off,” and carrying associations of militant struggle. As a Palestinian, I have long had serious concerns about these demands. The idea of “globalising the intifada” seems to invite constant, violent escalation. With every attack, antisemites are further emboldened and the conflict is only entrenched and worsened.