During the raid on Sunday in the Israeli-occupied East Jerusalem, the two bookstore owners, Mahmud Muna and Ahmed Muna, were also arrested. According to the detainees' lawyer, hundreds of titles were seized, and the police accused the two of selling subversive literature.
"The Jerusalem District Police have arrested two residents of East Jerusalem, suspected of selling books that contain incitement and support for terrorism," the police wrote in a statement.
During the raid, the police found books with "Palestinian nationalist themes".
The police operation sparked immediate and strong reactions, as the bookstore was not only selling books but also served as a gathering place for discussions about the situation, development, future, and Jerusalem's multifaceted and complicated history.
"Shocked by the Israeli raid (against the bookstore) – an intellectual beacon and a family-driven gem that opposes Palestinian erasure" writes UN rapporteur for Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, on X.
The three-story bookstore attracted foreign diplomats, journalists, and researchers seeking increased understanding of the conflict in the Middle East.
According to May Muna, married to Mahmud, the police took away all books where "Palestine" or flags representative of the Palestinians appeared "without knowing the content".
