An Israeli police raid on a well-known chain of Palestinian bookshops in occupied East Jerusalem and the detention of their owners has shocked many people in the city's cultural, journalistic and diplomatic communities, who have described it as heavy handed and unjustified.

Israeli police raided two Palestinian bookstores in occupied east Jerusalem on Sunday, confiscating books and arresting one of the owners and his nephew, according to their family members.

Israeli police have raided a long-established Palestinian-owned bookstore in east Jerusalem, detaining the owners and confiscating books about the decades-long conflict. The police said the books incited violence.

Israeli police raided two branches of a landmark bookstore in east Jerusalem on Sunday night, confiscating several dozen books and detaining two of the owners overnight. According to Imad Muna, one of the Educational Bookshop’s proprietors,