Palestinian Bookstore Owners Arrested for Allegedly Selling Material That 'Supports Terrorism,' Israeli Human Rights Organization Outraged

A leading Israeli human rights organization has spoken out against the raiding of a decades-old prominent Palestinian bookstore in east Jerusalem by Israeli Police, who alleged that the store was selling texts that promoted violence and terrorism.

Israeli Police accused The Educational Bookshop, a Palestinian bookstore established over four decades ago, of selling books encouraging violent uprising, including a children's book entitled "From the Jordan to the Sea," reported Haaretz.

"The attempt to crush the Palestinian people includes the harassment and arrest of intellectuals," Israeli human rights group B'Tselem said in a statement.

Police forces arrested two of the store's owners, Mahmoud and Ahmad Muna, on Sunday, keeping them in custody overnight. In a statement, they alleged that the two were arrested for "selling books containing incitement and support for terrorism." They continued to raid another branch of the store, located at the American Colony Hotel nearby.

Founded in 1984, the Educational Bookshop describes itself as "a well-established and leading bookstore focusing on Middle Eastern culture and the Arab-Israeli conflict."

"The books are mostly research-based and published by highly respected institutions and publishers world-wide. Our book collection also includes a selection of Arabic literature, guidebooks, dictionaries and Arabic teaching books," reads the store's website.

The store also often hosts events and has frequently been visited by researchers, journalists and foreign diplomats.

"I, like many diplomats, enjoy browsing for books at Educational Bookshop," German Ambassador Steffen Seibert wrote on social media platform X. "I know its owners, the Muna family, to be peace-loving proud Palestinian Jerusalemites."

During the raid, police confiscated hundreds of books within the store before ordering its owners to shut their business down. Mahmoud's wife, May Muna, stated that police confiscated Palestinian titles and books "without knowing what any of them meant." She said that they continued to throw books off of shelves and destroy furniture as they conducted the raid of the store.

"Grounds for arrest: selling books in Arabic. Israel is continuing its war on the entire Palestinian people. The attempt to crush the Palestinian people the includes harassment and arrest of intellectuals," B'Tselem wrote on X.

"Mahmoud and Ahmad Muna, well-known figures in the Jerusalem cultural scene, run the Educational Bookshop - a meeting point for cultural and political discussion. Israel must immediately release them from detention and stop persecuting Palestinian intellectuals," they continued.

A judge from the Jerusalem District Court denied an appeal by Mahmoud and Ahmad Muna, ruling that the brothers should stay in custody for at least another night while the police continue to investigate the store, according to Israel police spokesperson Dean Elsdunne. Elsdunne further stated that the books represented a "clear danger" towards the public.