Jeusalem: Israeli police raided two well-known Palestinian bookstores in occupied East Jerusalem on Sunday. Officers confiscated books and arrested the owner and his nephew. Their family confirmed the incident, describing it as a severe crackdown on intellectual freedom.
Books Confiscated, Store Damaged
CCTV footage from the bookstores, owned by four brothers from the Muna family, shows police placing books in trash bags. The stores belong to the Educational Bookshop, a respected institution selling Arabic and English books for decades.
“They threw books on the ground, but most of the damage was in the Arabic store,” said owner Iyad Muna. Photos shared online show books, notebooks, and writing materials scattered across the floor.
Detentions and Court Decision
An Israeli court extended the detention of the two arrested men, Mahmoud and Ahmed Muna, by 24 hours on Monday. After this, they will be placed under five days of house arrest. Initially, police had requested an eight-day detention while investigations continued.
Several diplomatic representatives from the European Union, the United Kingdom, Brazil, and other countries attended the court hearing.
Police Accusations
Israeli police stated that the arrests were due to “selling books containing incitement and support for terrorism.” Officers allegedly found books with nationalist Palestinian themes, which they claimed encouraged violence.
One of the seized books was a children’s coloring book titled From the River to the Sea. This phrase is politically sensitive, with Palestinians using it to express their vision of a homeland, while many Israelis see it as a call for Israel’s destruction.
Bookstore’s History and Impact
The Educational Bookshop was founded in 1984 on Salah el-Dein Street, a central location in East Jerusalem. The Arabic-language store serves local readers, while its English-language branch is popular among Palestinians, Israelis, and foreigners.
The group The Time Has Come, which advocates for peace between Jews and Palestinians, condemned the raid. They described the bookstore as “an important part of the shared future we envision for Jerusalem.” They also warned that suppressing free expression threatens the city’s future.
International Reactions
Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur for Palestinian Territories, expressed outrage. She called the bookstore “an intellectual lighthouse and family-run gem resisting Palestinian erasure under apartheid.”
Albanese urged the international community in Jerusalem to support the Muna family and protect the bookstore as a “vital hub” for culture and knowledge.
A Growing Crackdown on Palestinian Institutions
This incident is part of a broader pattern of Israeli authorities targeting Palestinian cultural spaces in East Jerusalem. Critics argue that such actions aim to suppress Palestinian identity and limit free expression. The raid on the bookstores has sparked widespread condemnation and renewed discussions on intellectual freedom in the region.
As tensions continue, many in the Palestinian community fear that further raids could threaten other institutions that preserve their heritage. The international response will play a crucial role in determining how this situation unfolds.
