Israeli police recently conducted a raid on a well-established Palestinian-owned bookstore in east Jerusalem, resulting in the detention of the owners and the confiscation of books related to the longstanding conflict. The police claimed that the books were inciting violence.
The Educational Bookshop, which has been in operation for over 40 years, serves as a prominent intellectual center in east Jerusalem. This area was captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war and subsequently annexed as part of its capital, a move not recognized internationally. East Jerusalem is home to a significant Palestinian population, with aspirations for it to become the capital of their future state.
The raided three-story bookstore boasts a wide array of books, predominantly in Arabic and English, focusing on the conflict and broader Middle Eastern topics. The store is known for hosting cultural events and is particularly popular among researchers, journalists, and foreign diplomats.
Following the raid, the owners of the bookstore, Ahmed and Mahmoud Muna, were taken into custody, and the police seized hundreds of titles related to the conflict before ordering the store's closure. According to Mahmoud's wife, May Muna, the police targeted books with Palestinian titles or flags, seemingly without understanding their content. Some titles were translated using Google Translate before being removed in plastic bags.
This incident follows a similar raid on another Palestinian-owned bookstore in the Old City of east Jerusalem the previous week. The police stated that the bookstore owners were arrested on suspicion of selling books that contained incitement and support for terrorism.
One of the books cited by the police was an English-language children's coloring book titled 'From the River to the Sea,' a phrase referencing the territory between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, encompassing Israel, the occupied West Bank, and the Gaza Strip.
Israeli-Palestinian tensions have escalated since the October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas from Gaza, leading to a war in the region. The conflict has resulted in significant casualties on both sides, with ongoing challenges in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza, and east Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast war, and the Palestinians seek these territories for their future state. However, peace talks have stalled, particularly since Netanyahu's return to power in 2009.
For more updates on the Israel-Hamas conflict, visit AP's war coverage.
