Israeli crackdown on bookstore ‘disproportionate’: British envoy

The British ambassador to Israel has criticized the Israeli crackdown on a popular bookstore and a library in occupied East Jerusalem after the two owners were arrested and taken to court. “The Educational Bookstore is a key part of cultural life in East Jerusalem,” Simon Walters wrote in a post on X. “Raids on bookstore branches and the arrest of owners Mahmoud and Ahmed Muna are a disproportionate response to the concerns raised yesterday in court. Freedom of expression is a fundamental right,” he added.