The Jerusalem police on Monday raided two well-known bookstores in east Jerusalem, confiscated three trash bags’ worth of books, and arrested two of the owners: Ahmad Muna and his uncle, Mahmoud.
Overnight, this became the latest cause célèbre of the Left.
A Haaretz writer determined that “Israel’s war is now targeting Palestinian culture along with the Palestinian people.” The Guardian quoted “rights groups and leading intellectuals” saying the arrests were “designed to create a culture of fear” among Palestinians.
And Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur for Palestinian Territories, declared she was “shocked by the raid” against “an intellectual lighthouse and family-run gem resisting Palestinian erasure under apartheid.”
We don’t know what the police were looking for, nor what they found. We do know, however, that the Jerusalem Magistrates Court ordered the two suspects remanded in custody for two nights, followed by five days of house arrest – a sign that the raids and arrests were not without probable cause, even though no charges have yet been filed.
The BBC, in its report on the arrests, said that many in the city’s cultural, journalistic, and diplomatic communities have called the raid “heavy-handed and unjustified.”
Was it heavy-handed or unjustified?
Heavy-handed – in that it is clumsy to raid a bookstore in broad daylight and fill trash bags with books – perhaps. Unjustified? We really don’t know.
And that is part of the problem. We don’t know much, and the authorities are not providing reasons beyond a general police statement saying that the two men were arrested on suspicion of “selling books containing incitement and support for terrorism.” The statement added that the police will “continue their efforts to thwart incitement and support for terrorism, as well as apprehend those involved in offenses that threaten the security of Israel’s citizens.”
In a sensitive case like this, especially one bound to attract significant international attention, Israel needs to provide more specific information about its rationale. The failure to do so is an endemic Israeli problem.
Israel sometimes takes steps that are bound to be highly controversial – such as raiding a bookstore – perhaps with very good reason, but then not provide a clear explanation, leaving the playing field wide open for those eager to cast the Jewish state in the worst possible light.
There may be very good reasons for these actions, including the arrest of the booksellers, but if they are not presented upfront, the only people speaking will be those condemning the moves as oppressive and authoritarian, and whose voices will be amplified by an international press predisposed to assuming the worst about Israel.
The only confiscated book that the police showed the press was a children’s coloring book, From the River to the Sea.
That book looks innocent and its confiscation is seen abroad as proof of Israel’s oppressive tendencies – until one realizes that books like this are part of an ongoing effort to indoctrinate generations of Palestinians into believing there is no place for a Jewish state between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea.
Since October 7, there has been much talk about the need to de-radicalize Gaza. That same de-radicalization is needed in east Jerusalem and the West Bank as well.
But, the counterargument will run, what of coloring books in Jewish bookstores featuring the Third Temple? Is that not also a form of indoctrination – teaching Israeli youth that there should be no Muslim presence on the Temple Mount?
Except there is one glaring difference: October 7 proved that for a significant part of Palestinian society, “from the river to the sea” is not just an empty slogan or aspirational End-of-Days vision but an actively pursued political program. That IDF soldiers are currently operating throughout the West Bank to combat terrorism shows the degree to which this is viewed as viable. This is also why steps to curb incitement are not automatically bad.
Nevertheless, raiding bookstores and confiscating books is an extreme step. We hope it was carefully considered in advance and believe that the reasoning behind the raid – as well as what was found – should be swiftly presented.
Otherwise, the narrative that this was simply an authoritarian act by a fascist-leaning government will take hold unchallenged. And, in that case, more will be lost by this step than gained.