For decades, the Education Book Hall has been the cultural cornerstone of East Jerusalem, hosting foreign diplomats, acquiring prominent writers, and providing readers with both sides of the story of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. I'm doing it.
This weekend, Israeli police stormed the store and arrested the two owners after they concluded that books that contain children's coloring books sold there could cause violence. Police said many books were seized in the attack on Sunday.
The store was first closed on Monday, but despite later ordering a judge who owned brothers Mahmoud Muna and Ahmed Muna, who owned the store until Tuesday morning, during a police investigation. It's open. They were also ordered to be held under house arrest for five days after their release and were barred from returning to the bookstore for 15 days.
Murad Muna, the brother of the two owners who reopened one of the stores on Monday afternoon, denied that the books sold there promoted violence. In fact, he said that when the book was imported from overseas, it passed Israeli censorship.
“I believe this is political and not legal detention,” the lawyers for the two men arrested, Nassar O'Day, said outside the courthouse in Jerusalem after the hearing.
In a statement, police said the store was searched for a book suspected of including “inciting content.” The detectives have come across numerous books with incendiary material, including themes of Palestinian nationalists, including a children's coloring book entitled “From Jordan to the Sea.” ”
The slogan “from river to sea” has long been a rallying cry for Palestinian nationalism, and is usually interpreted as a denial of the rights of the state as existing by the Israelites.
Mahmoud Muna's wife, Mai Muna, was in court on Monday after spending the night in prison after her husband was taken to the judge.
“They started throwing books off the shelf,” Muna explained the attack in a phone interview Monday. “They were looking for anything with the Palestinian flag.”
However, a few hours later, one of the shops was stuck with customers and supporters as Murad Muna tried to catch up with a non-stop sales that he said was a sign of solidarity.
“Today is excessive,” Muna said from behind the register. If Israeli authorities were trying to scare the Palestinians, he said, “This is our answer.”
The arrests reflect how Israel tightens restrictions on free speech and cultural activities for Palestinians around the country. Since the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, Israeli police have increasingly arrested Israeli Palestinian citizens for accusations of incitement to fear on social media, criticizing Haifa and Jaffa's Israeli military or government Film screenings have been closed.
The Education Bookstore is located in East Jerusalem, part of a city that Israel captured and later annexed from Jordan in 1967. Israel considers Jerusalem to be an undivided capital, but most of the inhabitants of East Jerusalem are Palestinians, and the United Nations considers it the territory that occupied it.
Over the years, Muna Brothers stores have spoken at another store that owns one of the last July last July for “Avedo Salama Day,” which won the Pulitzer Prize last July, We have held film screenings and book releases.
Its author, Nathan Thrall, was one of a small crowd of protesters on Monday when he gathered from the entrance to the courthouse during the hearing. He and his wife, Judy, have heard about the arrests by social media and WhatsApp groups.
He said the arrest would send a “very strong message” about police authorities.
“It reflects a sense of boldness, no consequences at all, and that they can pursue two of the best-connected Palestinians in East Jerusalem,” Throul said. Ta.
David Grossman, a well-known Israeli novelist, said he knew Mahmoud Muna and visited his shop. “His arrest is outrageous,” he said in a phone interview.
Police also confiscated several books as part of their investigation. They did not repeatedly call or send back messages on Monday about their title, content or how they deemed to be an attack.
Diplomats from nine European countries and European Union attended a court hearing on Monday, showing support for the Muna brothers. “I, like many diplomats, enjoy reading books at educational bookstores,” said Stephen Sebert, German ambassador to Israel, in a social media post. “I'm worried after hearing about the attack and prison detention.”
Israeli civil rights association, an Israeli human rights group, said arrests were another step in Israeli authorities' efforts to blackmail and silence Palestinians.
In a statement, the group said the assaults and arrests were “from the unprecedented number of Palestinians' interrogations and arrests for expression-related crimes, as well as the broader trend of silencing Palestinian voices and social initiatives and activities. It cannot be separated.”
Standing among court protesters, Eliana Padva said she has visited bookstores frequently since she moved from New York to Jerusalem.
“They learned about Palestine politically on my journey over the years,” said Padwa, 26.
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