Jerusalem bookstore owners released, placed under house arrest

Palestinian bookstore owners Mahmoud Muna and his nephew Ahmad Muna were placed under house arrest for five days yesterday following a raid on their East Jerusalem bookshop.

Israeli police stormed the Jerusalem Educational Bookshop on Sunday, arresting the two over allegations of selling books that promote “incitement and support for terrorism”. Israeli occupation officers handcuffed them, ransacked the store and confiscated numerous publications.

The bookstore, well-known among diplomats, researchers and expats, is recognised for its wide selection of English-language books on Palestinian identity and the Arab-Israeli conflict. Israeli authorities cited a children’s colouring book titled ‘From the River to the Sea’ as evidence against them.

After his release, Ahmad described the arrest as “brutal and harsh” with no clear justification. He and his uncle have been banned from entering any of the bookstore’s locations for the next 20 days.

Ahmad told the Times of Israel that while he spent two nights in a police station, his uncle, Mahmoud, was held separately at the Russian Compound detention centre.

Murad Muna, Mahmoud’s brother, told Haaretz that Israeli police raided two of the bookstore’s locations under a search warrant issued by Israeli Judge Chavi Tucker.

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“They used Google Translate on the books, and anything they didn’t like, they took,” Murad said. “They even found a Haaretz newspaper with a picture of the hostages and called it incitement. They confiscated every book with a Palestinian flag on it.”

While most of the seized books have been returned, Israeli police have withheld ten titles.

The arrests drew swift backlash. On Monday morning, a protest took place outside the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court during a hearing on the booksellers’ detention. Among those present were Hadash-Ta’al Party leader, Ayman Odeh, and Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Nathan Thrall.

The raid also sparked condemnation from foreign diplomats who took to social media to express their outrage.

German Ambassador Steffen Seibert voiced his support for the bookstore on X, writing: “I know its owners, the Muna family, to be peace-loving, proud Palestinian Jerusalemites, open for discussion and intellectual exchange. I am concerned to hear of the raid and their detention.”

British Ambassador Simon Walters also criticised the Israeli police action, calling the bookstore a “key part of cultural life in East Jerusalem” and describing the raid as disproportionate to the concerns raised in court.

According to the Times of Israel, Israeli law enforcement initially sought to keep the booksellers in custody for eight more days, but the court granted only a one-day extension.

The Palestinian owners were formally accused of disrupting public order rather than incitement, as the latter charge would have required approval from prosecutors. No charges have been filed.