Police raid of Jerusalem bookshops suspected of selling children's books inciting terrorism causes international outcry

A police raid on Saturday of several well-known bookshops in the eastern, majority-Arab part of Jerusalem, who are suspected of selling material inciting terrorism, caused an international outcry.

The Jerusalem District Police only stated it “detained two residents of east Jerusalem suspected of selling books containing incitement and support for terrorism in bookstores, including a children’s coloring book called, ‘From the River to the Sea’.”

The owners of the shops, Ahmad and Mahmoud Muna, nephew and uncle, were released to house arrest for five days on Tuesday after two days’ detention by the police.

They will also be forbidden from entering their stores for 20 days, the Times of Israel reported. No charges have been filed yet, according to the report. Haaretz reported that the charges were later lowered from incitement to disturbing public order.

Imad Muna, the brother of Ahmad and father of Mahmoud Muna, rejected the allegations, claiming police officers confiscated every book containing “Palestine” in its title.

The police later responded that officers had “uncovered several books with inciting material that contain nationalistic Palestinian themes.”

While Israel Police only published a grainy picture of the children’s coloring book, many users shared additional pages of the book on  𝕏.

יש גם עמוד שמעודד לשהידים pic.twitter.com/1O5StuvXQ6

— 🚉🚲🏙🌳 naama riba (@naamuli84) February 10, 2025

Among others, the book contained pages glorifying the “Intifada”, and the “Nakba”, and explaining that “martyrs” have a “special place in Palestinian society.”

Coloring images include one titled “Children of the Stones,” praising Palestinian children who are throwing stones at Israeli soldiers, and another showing armed men (implied to be Palestinians) in front of a stylized separation wall and the Dome of the Rock.

Here are a couple of images from that supposedly innocuous "From the River to the Sea" coloring book that's been in the news. Not exactly Sesame Street. pic.twitter.com/A810S6jjXp

— David Bernstein (@ProfDBernstein) February 10, 2025

The “Educational Bookshop,” with two branches on Salah al-Din Street and one in the American Colony Hotel, is a well-known address for the diplomatic, cultural, and academic crowd in the capital.

Despite this, the outsized attention drawn by a seemingly routine police raid surprised many observers. The French General Consulate published a picture showing representatives of Belgium, Holland, Ireland, the EU, France, Sweden, Switzerland, the U.K. attending the court hearing on Monday.

Attending today’s court hearing, 🇧🇪 🇪🇺 🇫🇷 🇮🇪 🇳🇱 🇸🇪 🇨🇭 🇬🇧, joined by 🇫🇮 🇮🇹, expressed deep concern at the Israeli police raid against the @Edu_Bookshop in East Jerusalem and the arrests of their employees, Ahmad and Mahmoud Muna. This raid is an attack against freedom of… pic.twitter.com/jMUHK8OWEn

— France à Jérusalem 🇫🇷 🇪🇺 (@FranceJerusalem) February 10, 2025

Representatives of Italy and Finland were also in attendance, the consulate added, while expressing “deep concern at the Israeli police raid” which it called an “attack against freedom of expression.”

A small crowd protested outside the court during a hearing on a possible extension of the Mounas’ detention, including left-wing politicians like Hadash-Ta’al chair Ayman Odeh as well and well-known authors.

In addition, British ambassador Simon Walters criticized the raids as “a disproportionate response to the concerns raised,” while German ambassador Steffen Seibert also expressed his “concern.”

“I, like many diplomats, enjoy browsing for books at Educational Bookshop. I know its owners, the Muna family, to be peace-loving proud Palestinian Jerusalemites, open for discussion and intellectual exchange,” Seibert wrote on  𝕏.

The phrase “From the River to the Sea” has been banned by police and local authorities in several localities across Germany since Oct. 7, including in Seibert’s home state Bavaria.