Arrests and Raids
Israeli police raided the Educational Bookshop in , detaining owners Mahmoud and Ahmed Muna for allegedly selling books inciting terrorism, including a controversial children's coloring book.
The raids, criticized as an assault on free expression, involved confiscating books with Palestinian themes, using online translation apps to identify them, and extending the Muna's detention.
International Response and Context
The arrests sparked outrage among diplomats, rights groups, and the cultural community, with calls for the Muna's release and condemnation of the action as an attack on Palestinian nationalism and intellectual freedom.
This incident occurs amidst heightened Israeli-Palestinian tensions and broader actions against Palestinian cultural and political expressions, raising concerns about the impact on East Jerusalem's future and Palestinian identity.