New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Tuesday praised New York AG Letitia James after her office reached a settlement requiring Betar US to cease what the state described as a campaign of harassment, intimidation and threats targeting Arab, Muslim and Jewish New Yorkers.

James announced the settlement following an extensive investigation by the New York Office of the Attorney General into Betar’s activities surrounding pro-Palestinian protests in the city. The attorney general’s office said the probe found a pattern of conduct it characterized as “widespread persecution” of Muslim, Arab, Palestinian and Jewish individuals.

Under the agreement, Betar must immediately stop instigating or encouraging violence, threatening protesters, or harassing people exercising their civil rights. The organization is also subject to a suspended $50,000 civil penalty that would be enforced if it violates the settlement. The attorney general’s office said Betar is in the process of dissolving its New York not-for-profit corporation and winding down operations in the state.

“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. She said the investigation uncovered an “alarming and illegal pattern of bias-motivated harassment and violence designed to terrorize communities and shut down lawful protest.”

Mamdani welcomed the settlement, saying it underscored the city’s commitment to protecting civil rights and public safety for all residents.

The investigation began in March 2025 after the attorney general’s office received multiple complaints alleging Betar members engaged in threatening conduct toward individuals connected to pro-Palestinian demonstrations. Investigators said they identified numerous public and private statements by Betar leadership and members that expressed anti-Palestinian, anti-Arab and anti-Muslim sentiment, including the use of slurs and demeaning language. The probe also found that Jewish individuals who expressed views opposed by the group were targeted, according to the attorney general’s office.

James said Betar’s conduct violated New York civil rights laws that prohibit bias-motivated violence, harassment and intimidation, as well as discrimination against individuals exercising their rights to protest and peacefully assemble.

In response to the settlement, Betar urged “all Zionists to evacuate NYC voluntarily,” according to a statement cited by the attorney general’s office.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)