Far-right group targeting pro-Palestinian voices to close New York operation, NY AG says

By Kanishka Singh

WASHINGTON, Jan 13 (Reuters) – New York Attorney General Letitia James’ office said on Tuesday it reached a settlement with Betar US that would wind down the far-right Zionist group’s New York operations after an investigation found the group intimidated pro-Palestinian activists.

After President Donald Trump took office last year and signed executive orders targeting pro-Palestinian protesters and activists, Betar said it provided names of international students and faculty to the Trump administration for deportation. Trump’s deportation attempts have faced legal setbacks.

After investigating Betar, the New York attorney general’s office found the group “repeatedly targeted individuals based on religion and national origin,” it said in a statement. Betar has been labeled an extremist group by the Anti-Defamation League, a Jewish advocacy organization.

“The settlement requires Betar to immediately cease instigating or encouraging violence against individuals, threatening protesters, and harassing individuals exercising their civil rights, and subjects the organization to a suspended $50,000 penalty that will be enforced if Betar violates the agreement,” James’ office said.

It added that Betar was seeking to dissolve its not-for-profit corporation and had indicated that it was winding down operations in New York.

In a statement, Betar denied wrongdoing and said it aimed to quash antisemitism. Betar calls itself a part of a militant Zionist group, which was founded a century ago in Europe. Its website says it was “reborn in the summer of 2024” and is headquartered in Israel.

Protests erupted at campuses in the U.S. after Israel began its assault on Gaza following Hamas’ October 2023 attack on Israel, a key U.S. ally.

Trump attempted to deport foreign protesters, alleging they were antisemitic and sympathetic to extremism. Rights advocates raised free speech and due process concerns.

Protesters, including some Jewish groups, say their criticism of Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories and support for Palestinian rights should not be equated with antisemitism and support for extremism.

Israel’s assault on Gaza since late 2023 has killed tens of thousands, caused a hunger crisis and internally displaced Gaza’s entire population. Multiple rights experts, scholars and a U.N. inquiry say it amounts to genocide. Israel has said it took action in self-defense after Hamas-led militants killed 1,200 people and took 250 hostage in their 2023 attack.

Rights advocates note rising antisemitism and Islamophobia since the start of the war in Gaza, where a fragile ceasefire began in October.

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Kate Mayberry)