Far-right zealots who said ‘We demand blood in Gaza’ crumble after a government investigation, and the cost is their very existence in New York

The far-right Zionist group Betar US is being forced to gradually shut down its operations in New York State after the New York Attorney General’s office concluded an investigation into its alleged widespread harassment of pro-Palestinian activists, as per Al Jazeera. This is a massive win for civil liberties and free expression, forcing an aggressive group to face real consequences for its behavior.

Attorney General Letitia James announced that her office reached a settlement with Betar US after finding the group engaged in a truly alarming pattern of bias-motivated harassment and violence designed to terrorize communities. The investigation uncovered “widespread persecution” aimed at Muslim, Arab, Palestinian, and Jewish New Yorkers.

The settlement dictates that Betar US must cease harassing individuals exercising their constitutional rights. The group has already indicated it is winding down its operations in the state and is seeking to dissolve its not-for-profit corporation entirely. Should the group violate the settlement terms, they’ll be forced to cough up a suspended $50,000 penalty.

Betar US had gained a notorious reputation among pro-Palestinian activists as an especially aggressive group that relied on surveillance and harassment to stifle critics of Israel

The organization wasn’t shy about its extreme views either; it often used social media to celebrate attacks on its perceived enemies and embrace a chilling language of vengeance. In one deleted social media post responding to a list of Palestinian children killed in Gaza, the group wrote: “Not enough. We demand blood in Gaza!”

Betar previously boasted that it had compiled lists of pro-Palestine foreign students using facial recognition and “sophisticated databases,” which it then handed over to the Trump administration for possible deportation. An official from the Department of Homeland Security later testified that the information provided by Betar, along with data from other pro-Israel doxxing groups, had actually been used to target activists.

Betar draws ideological inspiration from the Zionist hardliner Ze’ev Jabotinsky. Hours after the New York Attorney General’s announcement, and in response to a statement from New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Betar referred to the city’s first Muslim mayor as “Jihad Mamdani.” Betar denied “all allegations of wrongdoing,” stating that “Betar is mainstream Zionism,” and noting that Prime Minister Netanyahu, who even caused President Trump discomfort with his stances, is one of Jabotinsky’s greatest students.

An advocacy director at the pro-human rights group DAWN believes this settlement is a significant turning point. He told reporters that pro-Israel groups have become so blatant in their actions that governments simply can’t turn a blind eye anymore. He added that the next step is for other states and federal authorities to follow through on actions just like this one.