Leaked Chats Expose Betar's Extremist Campaign: Pro-Israel Group Coordinates Street Violence and Deportation Lists
Far-right pro-Israel organization Betar US has been orchestrating violent confrontations against pro-Palestinian protesters and compiling deportation lists targeting thousands of activists, according to leaked WhatsApp group chats obtained by Drop Site News that reveal plans to burn Qurans, attack demonstrators with pepper spray, and coordinate with federal authorities to remove critics from the United States.
Secret Communications Reveal Coordinated Harassment Campaign
Leaked WhatsApp group chats from Betar US and affiliated organizations expose a systematic campaign of intimidation and violence targeting pro-Palestinian activists across New York City. The communications, shared with Drop Site News by an anonymous member, detail plans to protest at mosques, burn Qurans to provoke confrontations, and coordinate the purchase of pepper spray, lasers, and other weapons for use against demonstrators.
The chat logs show members operating under their real names and phone numbers, which Drop Site News verified before the participants learned of the leak and began purging conversations. Group administrator Stephanie Benshimol, who recently appeared in a since-deleted video attempting to confront volunteers for New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, coordinated activities through a chat called "United Zionists".
"We are most definitely marching in front of a mosque," stated Andrew Zeidman in the chats, using derogatory slurs to refer to Muslims. "Hit them when their (sic) not expecting," replied D'Anna Andrea Morgan, who identifies herself as an NYPD cadet and created flyers for anti-mosque protests.
Trump Administration Partnership Fuels Deportation Drive
Betar US has established direct communication channels with the Trump administration, claiming to have submitted "thousands of names" of pro-Palestinian activists to federal authorities for deportation proceedings. Daniel Levy, a Betar spokesperson, told The Guardian that the organization provided names from Columbia University, the University of Pennsylvania, UCLA, and Syracuse University to high-ranking officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, White House Homeland Security Adviser Stephen Miller, and Attorney General Pam Bondi.
The group claimed credit for the arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian graduate student and permanent U.S. resident from Columbia University, whom federal immigration authorities detained in March. Trump described Khalil's arrest as "the first of many to come," while Betar US posted on X that it had been "working on deportations and will continue to do so".
"We submitted the names of hundreds of protesters and activists to the Trump administration/DHS urging ICE to deport them under the executive orders," Levy told CNN.
Facial Recognition Technology Targets Campus Protesters
The organization employs sophisticated surveillance technology to identify masked protesters at demonstrations. Betar spokesman Daniel Levy confirmed that some individuals on their deportation lists were identified using facial-recognition software called NesherAI, created by Stellar Technologies founder and Lebanon native who operates from his Brooklyn apartment.
The software, named after the Hebrew word for "eagle," scrapes thousands of photos from social media accounts to match masked protesters with their online identities. During a demonstration to The Times of Israel, the technology successfully matched a fully masked protester with publicity photos of a New York artist, leading to plans for a police assault report.
Historical Fascist Roots Drive Modern Operations
Founded in 1923 as a paramilitary fascist organization in Europe, Betar supported the far-right wing of the Zionist movement and aided in the mass displacement of Palestinians before Israel's establishment. The modern U.S. chapter, relaunched after October 7 under the leadership of public relations agent Ronn Torossian, maintains connections to New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
Torossian, who was arrested in May 2024 for aggressive behavior toward a Syracuse University student carrying a pro-Palestinian sign, also harassed fellow pro-Israel activist Shai Davidai at Columbia University. These incidents resulted in Torossian's ban from the World Zionist Congress and Betar's designation as an extremist group by the Anti-Defamation League.
"Far-right Betar U.S. does not shy away from the fascism label and proudly notes that it frequently carried out terror operations against Arab civilians in Palestine," reported MintPress News.
Bipartisan Political Support Enables Extremist Activities
Former Betar executive director Ross Glick met with influential lawmakers from both parties, including Democratic Senator John Fetterman and aides to Republican Senators Ted Cruz and James Lankford, all of whom reportedly supported the organization's campaign to remove "terror supporters" from the United States.
Shortly after Glick's Washington meetings, Trump signed an executive order titled "Additional Measures to Combat Anti-Semitism," promising "the removal of resident aliens who violate our laws" and threatening to "investigate and punish anti-Jewish racism in leftist, anti-American colleges and universities".
The organization claims relationships with Israeli government officials, stating it submitted lists of Jewish critics of Israel to ban them from entering the country. Betar asserts that Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs Gideon Sa'ar, Minister of Diaspora Affairs Amichai Chikli, and officials in the Prime Minister's office, Shin Bet, and other intelligence agencies are "friends" of the extremist group.
Violent Rhetoric and Hate Speech Escalate Tensions
Betar's social media channels regularly promote violence against Palestinians and celebrate civilian casualties in Gaza. In response to lists of Palestinian children killed in Israeli attacks, the organization posted: "Not enough. We demand more blood in Gaza!". The group has also expressed "strong support for the plan to expel Palestinians from Gaza".
The organization's confrontational tactics include distributing explosive pagers to pro-Palestinian activists, referencing Israel's September 2024 attack that killed numerous suspected Hezbollah members. Betar views this as humor while targets interpret it as death threats.
"Betar US functions as a nonprofit organization here in the U.S. However, they engage in aggressive harassment tactics, undermining First Amendment rights," stated Abed Ayoub, executive director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee.
Constitutional Concerns Mount Over Free Speech Violations
Civil rights organizations have raised serious concerns about Betar's activities violating First Amendment protections and conflating criticism of Israel with antisemitism. The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee labeled Betar US "a concerning entity that raises significant alarm" due to its harassment tactics.
The deportation of Palestinian peace activists Eid and Awdah Hathaleen from San Francisco International Airport in June, despite valid visas for an interfaith humanitarian mission sponsored by Kehilla Community Synagogue, demonstrates the real-world impact of Betar's influence campaigns.
"Having the US government revoke already granted, already screened visas, to crack down on peace activism is a new chapter," said Ben Linder, co-chair of the Silicon Valley chapter of J Street.
Escalating Crackdown on Dissent
As Betar continues expanding its operations with over 35 claimed chapters worldwide, the organization represents a significant escalation in government-backed suppression of dissent not seen since the McCarthyist era of the 1940s and 1950s. Trump's stated plans to deport "Communists" and "Marxists," including naturalized citizens, suggest this campaign will intensify beyond foreign nationals.
The leaked communications reveal an organization operating with impunity while coordinating violence, surveillance, and deportations against American residents exercising constitutional rights. With bipartisan political support and advanced surveillance technology, Betar's influence on immigration enforcement raises fundamental questions about the future of free speech and civil liberties in the United States.
The organization's threat that "naturalized citizens" will "start being picked up within the month" indicates this crackdown will expand beyond current targets, potentially affecting thousands of Americans whose only crime was expressing solidarity with Palestinian human rights