Israeli Forces Raid Palestinian Bookstores, Arrest Owners

For four decades, the Educational Bookshop, owned by the Muna family, has served as a literary and intellectual hub in the occupied city. Its branch on Salahuddin Street, near Al-Quds’s Old City, is widely recognized as a gathering place for Palestinians.

Witnesses told Middle East Eye (MEE) that around 3 p.m., officers entered the bookstores posing as customers before abruptly presenting a search warrant and ordering patrons to leave.

“They closed the door and started to move the books to the floor,” a witness told MEE on condition of anonymity. “They were brutal and disrespectful.”

Armed officers reportedly cleared half the shop’s bookshelves, leaving many empty. The specific Israeli security branch conducting the raid remains unclear.

The bookstore’s owners, Mahmoud Muna and his nephew Ahmad, were detained, and numerous books were confiscated. Witnesses said the Munas were accused of “disorderly conduct,” though MEE reported that search warrants referenced alleged terrorist offenses.

On Monday, supporters gathered outside the bookshops as the owners appeared in court, where their detention was extended for 24 hours.

The raid is part of a broader Israeli crackdown on Palestinian cultural institutions in East Al-Quds, occupied by Israel since 1967. In previous years, Israeli forces raided the Yabous Cultural Centre and the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music, seizing materials and alleging connections to terrorism. Israel has also sought to shut down Al Hakawati, the Palestinian National Theatre.

Palestinian schools in East Al-Quds staged a strike three years ago in protest against Israeli attempts to impose an Israeli curriculum, while right-wing activists have pushed to remove Arabic from street signs in the city.

Books Targeted in Raid

Witnesses said the Israeli agents struggled with Arabic and English titles, using translation apps to identify books.

According to MEE, officers flagged an English-language edition of Haaretz, Israel’s left-leaning newspaper, as "incitement material" after seeing a front-page image of captives released from Gaza. They reportedly expressed disappointment upon realizing its Israeli origin.

Agents reportedly showed particular interest in books featuring Palestinian flags or maps, seizing All That Remains by Walid Khalidi, which documents Palestinian villages destroyed in 1948. One officer was overheard saying, “You see, Israel didn’t destroy villages.”

The Educational Bookshop stocks a wide range of literature, including works on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from multiple perspectives. Recent recommendations by Mahmoud Muna included Rashid Khalidi’s The Hundred Years' War on Palestine, Ian Black’s Enemies and Neighbours, and Phyllis Bennis’ Understanding the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict: A Primer.

One of the bookstore’s branches is located in the American Colony Hotel, a well-known meeting spot for diplomats, journalists, and intelligence personnel.

International Condemnation

Husam Zomlot, the Palestinian ambassador to the UK, condemned the arrests, calling them a “stark reminder of the ongoing campaign to censor knowledge, stifle free speech and information that challenges Israel’s occupation of Palestine.”

Steffen Seibert, former German ambassador to Israel, expressed support for the Muna family, describing them as “peace-loving, proud Palestinian Al-Qudsites open for discussion and intellectual exchange.”

Mahmoud Muna recently co-edited Daybreak in Gaza with British writer Matthew Teller.