Earlier in February The Educational Bookstore was raided by the Israeli police, prompting protests and backlash against the action [Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu via Getty Images]
Israeli police have released the owner of a book store in occupied East Jerusalem after conducting a second raid against his business since February.
Imad Muna, the 61-year-old co-owner of The Educational Bookshop in Jerusalem’s Old City, was detained on Tuesday following an Israeli raid that saw the confiscation of books.
During the raid, police ordered the store to close, although no search or arrest warrant was presented at the time according to Haaretz.
A Haaretz reporter later confirmed Imad’s release, sharing picture of him on X alongside all but three of the books that were confiscated.
Ahmed Muna, a co-owner who was arrested alongside Imad’s son Ahmad during the first police raid, told Haaretz that the raid began at 11:15am local time. Police demanded to see their business license and reviewed the account books.
“After an hour, they arrested my father, told my mother to close the store, and took the key. They didn’t tell us which station they were taking my father to,” he said.
Some of the books that were confiscated were by linguist Noam Chomsky and historian Illan Pappe, as well as work by Banksy, all of which are part of Israel’s National Library, according to family member Mahmoud Muna who was also arrested in the first raid alongside Ahmed in February.
Jerusalem-based NGO Ir Amim confirmed the incident to The New Arab, saying that the police used Google Translate to interpret book titles during the raid. The group noted that after the previous raid, the police were criticised by the State Prosecutor’s office, which accused them of acting on their own accord.
“Instead of acknowledging their mistake, the police continue. Bookstores in East Jerusalem are not off-limits to Israeli authorities – They are becoming another site of suppression and silencing,” Ir Amim warned.
Several figures have condemned the incident, including Oliver Owza, the German representative to the Palestinian Authority, who said in a post on X that he was “disturbed” by the incident.
“This is a worrisome blow to literature driven education and cultural exchange in Jerusalem. Needs to be settled shortly,” he added.
Aymen Odeh, the head of Israeli political party Hadash, warned in a post on X that “in a place where bookstores are being shut down, newspapers, theatres, and the doors to democracy will eventually be closed as well”.
“Fascism doesn’t begin with marching boots – it begins in silence, when words are erased, voices are silenced, and bookstores are shut down. And Fascism will not stop there. We must resist. Together,” he added.
Literature and human rights group PEN America also condemned the police action, calling it a “blatant assault on Palestinian literature and culture”.
“The relentless harassment and intimidation of the Muna family by Israeli police is gravely concerning and a violation of free expression,” said said Liesl Gerntholtz, Director of the PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Center at PEN America. “Israeli authorities must cease their unjustified raids on the Educational Bookshop and the unlawful arrests of its owners.”
A statement released by the Israeli police said that a caller had reported that the store held “books containing inciting content” leading the the seizure of three books and detention of one person, according to Haaretz.
The statement further said that the police “have initiated a review of the books, and based on the findings, a determination will be made on whether to refer the matter to the State Attorney’s Office for further investigation into the suspected sale of inciting materials,” adding that they are “committed to conducting a thorough and professional examination of the case.”
The raid is the second since February, which sparked major backlash and protests following the arrest of Ahmed and Mahmoud, who were later released from custody.
Editors note: This story has been updated on 11 March, 16:20 GMT, to include an Israeli police statement on the incident, as well as correcting the number of books that were not released.
