Who Is Betar? The Zionist Youth Group Behind the Deportation Lists

An extreme-right Israeli group is creating lists of 'enemies,' but why do governments listen to them?

Betar Worldwide, recently in headlines for creating lists of Jews deemed “unwelcome” for criticizing Israel, is not a fringe organization. It is one of the oldest and most ideologically rigid Zionist youth movements, with a history that stretches back to the earliest days of fascist-aligned Zionism.

Founded in 1923 by Ze'ev Jabotinsky in Riga, Latvia, Betar was named for Joseph Trumpeldor, a Russian-born Jewish nationalist fighter who died in battle and became a martyr figure. From its inception, Betar espoused Revisionist Zionism, a hardline nationalist ideology that believed in military force, Jewish supremacy in the Land of Israel, and the necessity of an iron wall against the Arab population. Betar served as the ideological and recruiting engine for the Irgun, the paramilitary group responsible for a number of attacks and massacres in Mandatory Palestine, including the 1946 bombing of the King David Hotel.

Betar’s symbols and slogans reflect its militant roots. Members once wore brown uniforms and saluted in a fascist style. Jabotinsky openly admired Mussolini for his discipline and clarity of purpose, even meeting with the Italian dictator in the 1920s.

In the modern day, Betar operates youth camps and political training programs across Israel, the U.S., and other countries. Its alumni include top Israeli politicians such as Benjamin Netanyahu, whose father was Jabotinsky’s personal secretary. The group remains affiliated with Likud, Israel’s ruling right-wing party, and supports total annexation of the West Bank and full military dominance over Palestinians.

But now, Betar is in the spotlight for a different reason: its public vow to build lists of Diaspora Jews who have criticized Israel, labeling them "kapos" and lobbying for them to be banned from the country. The group confirmed that Norman Finkelstein, a prominent Jewish academic and Holocaust historian, is on the list, and says it has already added names from the U.S., Canada, the UK, France, and Latin America.

This is not just ideological policing. It is an effort to reframe Jewish identity itself: to strip anti-Zionist Jews of belonging, and to erase the centuries-long Jewish tradition of dissent, diaspora identity, and moral resistance. For Betar, only Jews who support military Zionism deserve access to the Jewish state.

The group has also reportedly supplied the Trump administration with lists of immigrants and critics for potential deportation or surveillance, though this remains unconfirmed. Their influence, however, is growing, and so is their audacity.

Understanding who Betar is requires confronting the reality that far-right Zionism was never a fringe element, it was baked into the founding project. Betar is simply saying the quiet part out loud.