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Israeli police raided two branches of East Jerusalem’s Educational Bookshop on Sunday and detained its owners, prompting outrage among Palestinian and Israeli intellectuals and adding to fears that Israel is cracking down on freedom of expression.
A police statement originally said officers arrested Mahmoud Muna and Ahmad Muna on charges of “selling books containing incitement and support for terrorism”, but then changed the charges to suspicion of disturbing public order. Police requested an eight-day extension of their detention on Monday, with a judge eventually ordering the pair be held for an extra day.
Specialising in English and Arabic titles relating to the Israel-Palestine conflict, the Educational Bookshop chain is one of the most well-known bookshops in the Holy Land and an intellectual centre frequented by tourists, journalists, activists and diplomats.
Police combed through books, confiscating dozens in a raid on Sunday. They said: “Detectives encountered numerous books containing inciteful material with nationalist Palestinian themes, including a children's colouring book titled From the River to the Sea."
Pictures circulated by an Israeli journalist of one of the shops after the police raid showed dozens of books strewn across the floor.
The pair’s lawyer, Nasser Odeh, said the arrest was “illegal” and “part of the political suppression against people in East Jerusalem”. He added that after the extra day of detention, both would be released under house arrest for five days and banned from entering their shops for 15 days.
Israel has long faced accusations that it suppresses critical material but critics say the problem has become far worse since the Gaza war broke out in October 2023. Since then, professors have been arrested and people hounded out of workplaces for expressing solidarity with Palestinians.
A small crowd of Palestinian and Israeli demonstrators gathered in support of the pair on Monday morning, as both appeared in Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court. Inside, representatives from Belgium, Brazil, the EU, Finland, France, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK, as well as numerous international journalists, gathered to attend proceedings.
Nathan Thrall, author of a Pulitzer Prize-winning book on the conflict, told The National outside the court that the arrest was an “outrage”.
“It sends a chilling message to all Palestinians in Jerusalem because these are two of the most well-connected people, people who you would think would be the most immune from this sort of abuse,” he said.
Steffen Seibert, German ambassador to Israel, said he was “concerned to hear of the raid”.
“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,” Mr Seibert said in a post on X.
Palestinian professor Dalal Saeb Iriqat described the arrests as “a war on knowledge and truth”.
“Israel is systematically silencing educators, journalists and intellectuals – those who empower society through learning and free thought,” Prof Iriqat wrote on Facebook. “Arresting bookstore owners is the act of a regime terrified of knowledge. Targeting educators is a [war crime]. We demand the immediate release of Ahmad and Mahmoud Muna.”
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
UK’s AI plan
- AI ambassadors such as MIT economist Simon Johnson, Monzo cofounder Tom Blomfield and Google DeepMind’s Raia Hadsell
- £10bn AI growth zone in South Wales to create 5,000 jobs
- £100m of government support for startups building AI hardware products
- £250m to train new AI models
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Thank You for Banking with Us
Director: Laila Abbas
Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum
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'Ashkal'
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Price, as tested: Dh84,000
Engine: 1.4L, four-cylinder turbo
Transmission: Six-speed auto
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THE APPRENTICE
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Desert Warrior
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
The past winners
2009 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull)
2010 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull)
2011 - Lewis Hamilton (McLaren)
2012 - Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus)
2013 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull)
2014 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
2015 - Nico Rosberg (Mercedes)
2016 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
2017 - Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes)
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EA Sports FC 25
Developer: EA Vancouver, EA Romania
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4&5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S
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Ireland 16 (Tries: Stockdale Cons: Sexton Pens: Sexton 3)
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Nancy 9 (Hassa Beek)
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- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
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Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
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Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
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The language of diplomacy in 1853
Treaty of Peace in Perpetuity Agreed Upon by the Chiefs of the Arabian Coast on Behalf of Themselves, Their Heirs and Successors Under the Mediation of the Resident of the Persian Gulf, 1853
(This treaty gave the region the name “Trucial States”.)
We, whose seals are hereunto affixed, Sheikh Sultan bin Suggar, Chief of Rassool-Kheimah, Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon, Chief of Aboo Dhebbee, Sheikh Saeed bin Buyte, Chief of Debay, Sheikh Hamid bin Rashed, Chief of Ejman, Sheikh Abdoola bin Rashed, Chief of Umm-ool-Keiweyn, having experienced for a series of years the benefits and advantages resulting from a maritime truce contracted amongst ourselves under the mediation of the Resident in the Persian Gulf and renewed from time to time up to the present period, and being fully impressed, therefore, with a sense of evil consequence formerly arising, from the prosecution of our feuds at sea, whereby our subjects and dependants were prevented from carrying on the pearl fishery in security, and were exposed to interruption and molestation when passing on their lawful occasions, accordingly, we, as aforesaid have determined, for ourselves, our heirs and successors, to conclude together a lasting and inviolable peace from this time forth in perpetuity.
Taken from Britain and Saudi Arabia, 1925-1939: the Imperial Oasis, by Clive Leatherdale
