Zionist group intimidating pro-Palestine activists to close New York operation
New York Attorney General Letitia James’s office has announced that Betar US would wind down its operations in the US state after an investigation found the Zionist group intimidated pro-Palestinian activists.
Betar, which calls itself a part of a militant Zionist group that was founded a century ago in Europe, said it provided names of international students and faculty to the administration of President Donald Trump for deportation, after he took office last year and signed executive orders targeting pro-Palestinian protesters and activists. However, his deportation attempts have faced legal setbacks.
The New York attorney general’s office investigated the Israel-headquartered Betar for “violence against and harassment of Muslim, Arab, Palestinian, and Jewish activists.”
After investigating Betar, the office said in a statement on Tuesday that it found the group “repeatedly targeted individuals based on religion and national origin.”
The attorney general reached a settlement with the Zionist group that “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’s 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.
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani hailed James’s “pursuit of justice,” saying “For years, Betar has sowed a campaign of hatred across New York, trafficking in Islamophobic extremism and harassing those with whom they disagreed. There is no place for their bigotry in our politics.”
Betar has been labeled an extremist group by the Anti-Defamation League, a Jewish advocacy organization.
Protests erupted at campuses in the US after Israel began its genocidal war on Gaza in October 2023.
Israel has so far killed nearly 71,000 Palestinians since launching the genocidal war on Gaza on October 7, 2023 following Operation al-Aqsa Flood, before a fragile ceasefire deal was reached in the strip last October.
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