Israel mounts an attack on Palestinian intellectual life
The arrest of a prominent bookseller in Jerusalem bodes ill for freedom of expression
On a busy thoroughfare in East Jerusalem, the predominantly Palestinian part of the city, sits a literary oasis. The Educational Bookshop, run by Mahmoud Muna, himself a Palestinian from East Jerusalem, and his family, has long been regarded as one of the finest in the region. A pillar of Palestinian intellectual life, the shop on Salahuddin Street stocks anything from in-depth studies of Gaza to the latest bestsellers by Yuval Noah Harari. The only thing that is hard to find is a book that Mr Muna has not read, as your correspondent discovered during recent visits.
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This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline “Raiding a bookshop”
Middle East & Africa
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