Anger over Israel's arrest of East Jerusalem bookshop owners

Israeli police raided a prominent Palestinian bookstore chain in occupied East Jerusalem and detained the bookstore's operators. This incident has shocked cultural, journalistic, and diplomatic figures in the city, who have widely condemned the police's actions as overly harsh and unjustified, sparking concerns about freedom of expression.

Mahmoud Muna and his nephew, Ahmed, have been detained since Sunday on charges of disrupting public order, raising questions about the legal basis for their arrest. Their lawyer, Nasser Odeh, stated that they were held overnight in cold conditions, highlighting concerns about their treatment. Odeh also revealed that the police have applied for them to be placed under house arrest and banned from entering their Educational Bookshop, limiting their ability to manage their business.

The two operators own three bookstores that are popular with tourists, journalists, and diplomats, contributing significantly to the local economy. The bookstores primarily carry books, newspapers, and comics about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Middle Eastern history, and culture, offering a diverse range of perspectives. With hundreds of publications in different languages, these three bookstores are an important part of the city's cultural center, fostering intellectual exchange and understanding.

According to the family members of the two men, plainclothes police raided two bookstores on Salah al-Din Street on Sunday afternoon without prior warning, causing disruption and anxiety. Using an online translation application, the police confiscated all books with the word "Palestine" or "Palestinian" in the title, as well as publications displaying the red, green, and white colors of the Palestinian flag, raising concerns about censorship. The confiscated publications included recently published books on the Gaza conflict, books featuring the works of artist Banksy, and a children's coloring book about the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories, suggesting a broad interpretation of what constitutes incitement.

The Israeli police issued a statement saying that the two men were arrested on suspicion of "selling books containing incitement and support for terrorism," aiming to justify their actions. The statement also said that the police will "continue to work to prevent incitement and support for terrorism, and to arrest those involved in criminal acts that threaten the safety of Israeli citizens," indicating a continued focus on suppressing dissenting voices.

The raid on the bookstore and the arrest of its operators have been strongly condemned by their supporters and customers, who see it as an attack on freedom of speech and expression. They argue that this is another disturbing attack on Palestinian cultural institutions, following previous actions against theaters and educational institutions, creating a chilling effect on cultural activities. Pulitzer Prize winner and American author Nathan Thrall, who held the launch of his book "A Day in the Life of Abed Salama: Anatomy of a Jerusalem Tragedy" at the Educational Bookshop and is a friend of the bookstore operators, has voiced his strong opposition.

Outside the court hearing, Thrall stated, "This is part of a long-standing policy of suppressing any expression of what is considered Palestinian nationalism in East Jerusalem," emphasizing the political motivations behind the raid. He further added, "Only an ideology as weak as paper is threatened by words on a page," highlighting the perceived absurdity of the police's actions.

Other supporters chanted slogans calling for the release of the detainees, and stated that the confiscation of books and other literary materials is reminiscent of dark periods in history, when authoritarian regimes often began their attacks on freedom and minority rights in this way, drawing parallels to historical instances of censorship. Despite the growing calls for the release of the detainees, and the presence of several diplomats from European and global consulates at the court, the two men remain in custody, but one of the bookstores later reopened, with many people quickly passing by to express their support, demonstrating the community's resilience.