Zionist group Betar US targets anti-Zionist Jews in US, Canada, Europe

By Irmak Akcan and Asiye Latife Yilmaz

The Zionist organization Betar US, operating in the US with Israeli backing, has been compiling a list of Palestine supporters, specifically targeting anti-Zionist Jews, and submitting their details to Tel Aviv to restrict their entry into the country.

The organization describes itself as the "North American arm" of the revisionist Zionism founded by Ze'ev Jabotinsky in 1923 and claims to be one of the most active Zionist organizations in the US.

Its global operations are managed from the "Bet Jabotinsky" center in Tel Aviv, and it also has offices in the US, Europe, and the UK.

The organization has acknowledged sharing the names of students involved in pro-Palestinian protests with the US government while also compiling lists of anti-Zionist people, including Jews from the US, Canada, Latin America, France, and the UK, and sending their details to the Israeli government to prevent their entry into Israel.

The names, photos, employment details, and social media activities of these individuals are shared publicly. On X, the organization said: “We confirm that from Israel we have submitted a list of names of Diaspora Jews who we recommend be banned from Israel to numerous Israeli government leaders,” and referred to these people as "enemies.”

The organization said they intend to build lists of diaspora Jews who “pose a danger to the Jewish state.”

Among those targeted are Jewish journalist Peter Beinart and leaders of "Jewish Voices for Peace," "Code Pink," and the "New Israel Fund."

The organization has made social media posts revealing personal information about people such as Rachel Leiken, accusing them of supporting Palestine and declaring her a threat to Judaism. Leiken's name has been submitted to the Israeli Ministry of Interior for a life ban from Israel.

The organization described Rachel Leiken, a Jewish woman working at Yale University's Slifka Center, as "everything that is wrong with Jewry" for supporting Palestine, shared her personal information on social media, and announced that her name had been submitted to Israel’s Ministry of the Interior for a lifetime ban from the country.

Betar exposed Shai Davidai for advocating the boycott of Israel, accusing him of comparing the organization to the Nazis.

The organization argued that those who march for Mahmoud Khalil, those advocating against Israel at the UN, and those boycotting Israel should not expect to be allowed entry into the country.

The organization also confirmed that its members include various individuals from government offices, including Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, Israel’s Social Equality and Women’s Advancement Minister May Golan, Minister of Diaspora Affairs Amichai Chikli, Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party member and Israeli parliament (Knesset) speaker Amir Ohana, Knesset member Sharren Haskel, the Prime Minister's Office, the internal security agency Shin Bet (Shabak), and other intelligence agencies within the Israeli state.

- 'There are no innocents in Gaza'

The organization, which made posts on X such as "There are no innocents in Gaza" and "They are Nazis," shared a press release under the title "Mossad Mission," offering those interested in engaging with former Mossad agents, Shin Bet commanders, and Israeli army intelligence officers at the Gaza border between June 23-25.

In another post on X, Betar warned Israelis and Jews about traveling to the US unless absolutely necessary. The post referenced the US travel warning issued for Israel, noting that speaking Hebrew in the US is “dangerous.”

The organization, which frequently sends support messages to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on X, said in one post: “World Betar expresses full support for Netanyahu during this war. We are at war and stand with the government of Israel.”

Betar shared a segment from a US State Department briefing on X, featuring a question about their submission of thousands of names of Hamas supporters in the US to the Trump administration for deportation, with State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce stating she was not involved in those decisions.