Why did a children’s book lead to the arrest of Palestinian brothers?

Israeli authorities have arrested Mahmoud and Ahmad Muna, the owners of a renowned bookstore in East Jerusalem, triggering a wave of global condemnation against the Zionist state’s clampdown on Palestinians across the occupied territories.

The reason for the arrests is a children’s colouring book titled From the River to the Sea, one of many books and other materials sold in their shop.

Israeli police accused the owners of Educational Bookshop of “selling books containing incitement and support for terrorism”.

The phrase “From the River to the Sea” came under the spotlight as the symbol of Palestinian resistance against Israeli occupation during the Gaza war, which killed over 48,000 people in just 15 months.

Over the past several months, Israel and its Western allies have come down heavily on pro-Palestinian protesters for using the phrase as a slogan or featuring it on banners.

Intellectual hub

The family-owned bookstore, founded in 1984, has long been an intellectual hub, frequented by diplomats, journalists, and academics for its extensive collection of literature on Palestinian history and the Middle East conflict.

“They picked up any book that had a Palestinian icon or Palestinian flag and tried to translate it using Google Translate,” Morad Muna, brother of Mahmoud, said.

The Muna brothers’ arrest has met with widespread backlash on social media, with many viewing it as part of Israel’s constant suppression of Palestinian cultural expression.

“The arrests of Mahmoud and Ahmad is a stark reminder of the ongoing campaign to censor knowledge, stifle free speech and information that challenges Israel’s occupation of Palestine and, in this case, Israel’s illegal colonial occupation of #Jerusalem,” said the Ambassador of the State of Palestine to the UK, Hussam Zomlot.

Diplomats from nine countries attended the hearing, including the UK, Brazil, and Switzerland. Germany’s Ambassador to Israel, Steffen Seibert, expressed his concern, noting that he was a regular customer of the bookstore.

“I know … the Muna family, to be peace-loving proud Palestinian Jerusalemites, open for discussion and intellectual exchange. I am concerned to hear of the raid and their detention in prison,” Seibert said in a statement.

The Muna brothers’ lawyer appealed to the district court, requesting their immediate release, but the appeal was rejected on Monday.

“In the so-called “only democracy in the Middle East,” a bookshop owner in Jerusalem has been arrested; his crime?... Selling a colouring book by South Africa’s Nathi Ngubane,” said an X user.

“This is a real tweet by the official account of Israel Police justifying raiding an East Jerusalem bookshop and arresting its owners… A colouring book,” said another user.

Supporters of the Munas gathered outside the courthouse on Monday to protest the arrest. The protesters included Pulitzer Prize-winning author Nathan Thrall, who was launching his book A Day in the Life of Abed Salama at the Educational Bookshop.

He expressed concern over the climate of fear being created by Israeli authorities in East Jerusalem. The arrests, he noted, were particularly alarming because the bookstore was well-known within the community.

“To go after someone who … has all kinds of connections in the diplomatic community and on the Israeli left will send an even stronger message,” he added.

Targeting Palestinian identity

Tensions remain high across the occupied West Bank, where at least 910 Palestinians have been killed and nearly 7,000 others injured by Israeli forces and illegal settlers since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza.

Palestinian cultural and educational institutions have long been targets under Israeli rule, facing censorship, funding cuts, and raids.

In recent months, these efforts have intensified, with Palestinian journalists being arrested, media offices shut down, and protests violently dispersed.

According to Haaretz, the police reportedly “used Google Translate on the books and confiscated anything they didn’t like.”

A Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court judge had initially issued a search warrant for the bookstore at the request of Israeli police. However, when no evidence of incitement was found, the charge was altered to “disturbing public order.”

A defence lawyer for the owners told Haaretz that he had never encountered a case where someone was detained overnight for allegedly disturbing public order.

Despite the lack of evidence, police kept the bookstore owners in custody overnight and scheduled a court hearing for a detention extension.