MK Tzvi Sukkot Demands Closure of Hamas-Linked Center in Jerusalem's Old City

MK Tzvi Sukkot, chairman of the Education Committee and the Subcommittee on Judea and Samaria Affairs, conducted a surprise visit to "The Message Cafe" in the Muslim Quarter of Jerusalem's Old City. This visit followed investigative reports aired on Channel 14, based on research by HaKol HaYehudi, exposing the cafe as a front for Hamas-affiliated activities. The cafe, located near Bab Hutta, reportedly operates not only as a coffee shop but also as a center for spreading Da'wah, Islamic proselytizing, distributing translated Quran booklets to visitors.

According to the investigation, complaints were filed by the Levi Organization to authorities against the Dar al-Islam center and its personnel, including the Bab Hutta location. Evidence suggests the center was allegedly funded by terror-linked entities. One individual named in the reports, Ramzi Barhoum, denied the claims that the cafe serves as an Islamic preaching center.

The controversy also involves the Leganat Zakat Al-Quds Al-Markaziya association, which was dissolved by the Jerusalem District Court following a prosecution revealing it was established by Hamas operatives and distributed funds to families of Hamas members and martyrs. Court records confirm the association's dissolution.

During his visit, Sukkot told the cafe's tenants that the days of incitement were over and vowed to push for the cafe's closure. He noted that the Jerusalem police district had already initiated closure proceedings but legal delays have kept the cafe open. Sukkot called on Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara to expedite the process, emphasizing the severity of allowing a Hamas-affiliated incitement center to operate in sovereign Jerusalem.

The initial exposure was part of the "Ashraf Marwan, Alias" series on Channel 14, directed by Avraham Shapira with support from the Shomron Film Fund, highlighting Dar al-Islam's activities in Israel.