Police action against the owners of the Educational Bookshop in East Jerusalem is an illegal violation of freedom of expression and marks yet another deterioration in Israel’s democratic standing.
On the evening of February 9, 2025, police officers raided two branches of the Educational Bookshop in East Jerusalem, owned and operated by Mahmoud and Ahmad Muna. According to police reports, the bookstore owners were arrested for investigation on suspicion of selling "books containing inciting content," including a children's coloring book titled "From the River to the Sea." The police action illegally infringes on freedom of expression.
These bookstores—among the finest Arabic and English bookstores in the Middle East—serve as an oasis of peace. They host a variety of cultural events attended by both Arabs and Jews. If the police suspect that a particular book contains incitement to violence or terrorism, they should conduct a thorough examination of its content with the assistance of experts and, if necessary, investigate the book’s authors. There is absolutely no justification for raiding bookstores and arresting their owners. Such actions are characteristic of dark dictatorships, not democratic states.
Furthermore, law enforcement actions concerning speech-related offenses require prior approval from the Attorney General and the State Prosecutor’s Office. According to reports, no such approval was granted in this case. The police’s attempt to circumvent this requirement by classifying the alleged offense as a public order violation—an increasingly common pattern in police conduct—is unlawful.
Approval is required based on the substantive nature of the offense under investigation, reflecting the fundamental recognition that law enforcement actions restricting freedom of expression pose a severe threat to democracy. In fact, the police’s very effort to sidestep this approval requirement indicates their own awareness that the operation lacks legal justification.
The arrest of Mahmoud and Ahmad Muna represents a campaign of persecution against advocates of peace and raises concerns that the true purpose of this action is intimidation and harassment of citizens and residents engaged in strengthening civil society. This is yet another troubling manifestation of the politicization of the Israeli police, in line with the agenda of the absentee-present minister, Ben-Gvir.
We call upon the Attorney General to intervene immediately: to order the police to release the bookstore owners without delay and to instruct law enforcement authorities to respect freedom of expression.
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