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Local group accused of bias against Arabs, Muslims and Jews agrees to quit NY, AG says
By
Arun Venugopal
Published Jan 13, 2026
Modified Jan 13, 2026
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Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
By
Arun Venugopal
Published Jan 13, 2026
Modified Jan 13, 2026
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A militant pro-Israel group accused of using violence, harassment and intimidation against Arab, Muslim and Jewish New Yorkers has agreed to cease operations in the state under a settlement announced Wednesday by Attorney General Letitia James.
The group, Betar US, based in Katonah in Westchester County, agreed to dissolve its not-for-profit corporation in New York, pledge not to engage in any unlawful conduct, and face a $50,000 fine for violations, according to the agreement.
“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.
Betar, which neither admitted nor denied the AG’s findings in accepting the settlement, reiterated in a statement that it had done nothing wrong.
The AG’s office said it launched an investigation of the group in March after receiving multiple complaints alleging the group engaged in “violent and threatening conduct” against Muslim, Arab, Palestinian and Jewish New Yorkers in relation to local protests related to the war in Gaza.
The investigation found that Betar urged its members to bring weapons to protests, including pepper spray and knives, as well as pit bulls, according to the AG.
At a Feb. 18 protest in Brooklyn, the investigation found, Betar urged supporters to “fight back” against what it termed “terrorists.”
The protest ended violently, with one person being stabbed, an outcome that prompted Betar members to celebrate privately, according to the investigation.
Citing the group’s “embrace of Islamophobia” and harassment of Muslims, the Anti-Defamation League added Betar to its list of extremist groups in February 2025 – at the time, the only Jewish group to be included, according to the Times of Israel.
The AG’s inquiry found that Betar’s actions, including physical assaults based on the belief that the victims were Muslim, Arab, Palestinian or Jewish, violated the New York Civil Rights Law.
“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,” James continued. “This behavior is unacceptable, and it is not who we are as New Yorkers.”
Betar drew widespread attention last year as it called for the deportation of pro-Palestinian students, including Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil. The organization claimed to have provided “hundreds of names” to the Trump administration.
“Even though Betar later disavowed these claims, OAG found that this conduct was designed to intimidate protesters and unlawfully chill the exercise of First Amendment rights,” the attorney general’s office said in its report.
Betar has pushed back against the ADL’s characterization that it is an extremist organization, calling the charge “not only false, but deeply antisemitic, as it seeks to delegitimize proud Zionist Jews who embrace Jewish strength, self-defense and leadership.”
Betar was formed in 1923 in Latvia, according to the organization’s website, and its members “were active instigators of disturbances and violence” in Palestinian territories, including bombings.
The group said its current mission is to recruit “proud Jews to become bold leaders and defenders of Zion.”
“We are not quiet. We are not polite,” the organization states. “We are loud, proud, aggressive and unapologetically Zionist.”
This story was updated with a comment from the group Betar.
Tagged
Politics
Race And Justice Unit
letitia james
new york city
westchester
Arun Venugopal
Arun Venugopal is a senior reporter for the WNYC and Gothamist Race & Justice Unit who focuses on issues of race and bias in our region. His reporting also tackles the topics of immigration, faith, and inequality. Arun serves as the regular fill-in host of the station's "U.S. of Anxiety" program. Arun was the creator and host of Micropolis, a series about race and identity. He is a contributor to NPR's Morning Edition and All Things Considered. He has appeared on PBS Newshour, On the Media and Studio 360, and has been published in The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal and Salon. He also frequently serves as an emcee and moderator of panel discussions on race, religion, and identity issues and has been a guest host of NPR's "Fresh Air." He lives with his family in Queens.
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