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Betar US, a Zionist extremist chapter of the international organization, will dissolve its not-for-profit status and cease its New York operations following an investigation by the state’s attorney general into the group’s violence and doxing of Arab, Muslim, Palestinian, and Jewish New Yorkers. New York State Attorney General Letitia James announced a settlement on Tuesday, under which the group must cease operations within the state or face a $50,000 penalty.

The Office of the Attorney General’s investigation, which launched in March, found that Betar had violated several state civil rights laws regarding bias-motivated harassment and that the organization had never registered with the state’s Charities Bureau. The investigation recorded several incidents of physical assault, including a Betar leader striking a woman wearing a keffiyeh and then celebrating by posting a video of the incident on social media.

“New York will not tolerate organizations that use fear, violence, and intimidation to silence free expression or target people because of who they are,” James said in a statement. “My office’s investigation uncovered an alarming and illegal pattern of bias-motivated harassment and violence designed to terrorize communities and shut down lawful protest.”

Betar US denied all allegations of wrongdoing in an X post. A Betar US spokesperson told Prism in an email that the group is a nonprofit based in Delaware, where they said it has been operating since March. The group also posted to X that it had voluntarily moved to Delaware, but also posted that it is headquartered in Tel Aviv.

“Betar is not ‘shutting down,” the spokesperson told Prism. “We have encouraged Zionists to evacuate NYC and have convinced nearly 20 Zionist groups to disband in NY and open operations in Zionist friendly areas.” It is unclear which Zionist groups the spokesperson was referring to.

On X, Betar posted that it is urging Zionist groups to leave New York City because “we believe every Pro IDF pro Netanyahu charity and individual will be targets.”

Last spring, several students spoke to Prism about how Betar US regularly threatened to distribute pagers to Palestine supporters—referencing Israel’s violent attack in Lebanon and Syria in September 2024 that injured over 2,900 people—among other hate speech. Betar also told The Guardian in March that it claimed credit for Columbia graduate Mahmoud Khalil’s detainment and submitted a “deportation list” of university students to the Department of Homeland Security and the Trump administration.

In an X post on March 23, the organization wrote, “We have deleted posts about beepers because they are distractions. Let’s stay focused on evil jihadis who hate America and hate Jews. These violent jihadis have no place in America.”

The New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NY) said in a statement on Tuesday that it applauds James for “holding the pro-Israel group Betar USA accountable for its campaign of hate against American Muslims and other communities.” 

“The shutdown of Betar’s campaign of harassment in New York is a historic and positive step toward protecting New Yorkers who have faced intimidation simply for advocating for Palestinian human rights,” Afaf Nasher, executive director of CAIR-NY, said. “We call on the federal government to account for and end any contact with Betar, and we call on law enforcement to hold the organization accountable for any criminal harassment it has allegedly committed.” 

According to CAIR’s 2025 Civil Rights Report, Islamophobia remains at record-high levels nationwide. CAIR said viewpoint discrimination against those speaking out against genocide and apartheid was a key factor in many cases.

Jenin Younes, national legal director for the American‑Arab Anti‑Discrimination Committee, wrote in an X post that the attorney general’s move was “a good start but it’s not enough.” 

“Betar is a terrorist, hate organization: it openly endorses and threatens violence against Palestinians and Muslims (including me), and those who advocate for Palestinian rights,” Younes wrote. “They should have their tax exempt status revoked and individual members should be investigated for crimes.”

Editorial Team:
Sahar Fatima, Lead Editor
Carolyn Copeland, Top Editor
Rashmee Kumar, Copy Editor