Munib Rashid al-Masri (), also known as the "Duke of Nablus", and "the Godfather"(b. 1934), is a Palestinian industrialist, and patriarch of the al-Masri family. Relatives include a cousin,

Arab Bank Arab Bank is a Jordanian bank that is one of the largest financial institutions in the Middle East. It is headquartered today in Amman, Jordan, and operates as a universal bank that serves clients in more than 600 branches spanning five contine ...

and

Paltel Palestine Telecommunications (Paltel) Company ( شركة), listed in the Palestine Exchange (PEX) as Paltel, is a Palestinian telecommunications holding company based in Ramallah, Palestine. It consists of Palestine Telecommunications (Paltel), ...

chairman Sabih al-Masri, and nephews, developer Bashar Masri, and Jordanian former prime minister Taher al-Masri. One of

Yasser Arafat Yasser Arafat (4 or 24 August 1929 – 11 November 2004), also popularly known by his Kunya (Arabic), kunya Abu Ammar, was a Palestinian political leader. He was chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) from 1969 to 2004, Presid ...

's closest friends and supporters, al-Masri has served as a minister in the cabinet of Jordan, and has on multiple occasions declined both the presidency and the prime ministership of

Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

Early Life

Al-Masri was born in

Nablus Nablus ( ; , ) is a State of Palestine, Palestinian city in the West Bank, located approximately north of Jerusalem, with a population of 156,906. Located between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim, it is the capital of the Nablus Governorate and a ...

in 1934. He attended the an-Najah National University and graduated from the

University of Texas The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 students as of fall 2 ...

in the United States. Al-Masri was shot and wounded by British soldiers in 1944.

Political life

Al-Masri was a close friend and confidant of Palestinian Liberation Organization leader

. He repeatedly turned down offers to become Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority. In the 2000s, al-Masri founded the Muntada Forum, a Palestinian lobbying group aimed at promoting reform and dialogue among the warring Palestinian factions.

Peace efforts

Al-Masri has stated that he has been working for the last 40 years to bring about a long lasting peace between Palestinians and Israelis. He would like to see an independent Palestine living in peace and harmony with Israel. In May 2013, al-Masri and high-level Israeli high-tech entrepreneur Yossi Vardi unveiled the Breaking the Impasse (BTI) Initiative at the

World Economic Forum The World Economic Forum (WEF) is an international non-governmental organization, international advocacy non-governmental organization and think tank, based in Cologny, Canton of Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded on 24 January 1971 by German ...

held at the

Dead Sea The Dead Sea (; or ; ), also known by #Names, other names, is a landlocked salt lake bordered by Jordan to the east, the Israeli-occupied West Bank to the west and Israel to the southwest. It lies in the endorheic basin of the Jordan Rift Valle ...

. At the launch, al-Masri stated, "It’s not for us to iron out the details. We are worried by the status quo. We want to change the status quo… Now the Israeli and Palestinian side f the initiativeare very honest in their appeal: They want to break the impasse… They want the two sides to negotiate… to push all the parties to engage in real negotiations." The BTI Forum was hosted by King Abdullah of Jordan and attended by

John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician, and diplomat who served as the 68th United States secretary of state from 2013 to 2017 in the Presidency of Barack Obama#Administration, administration of Barac ...

Shimon Peres Shimon Peres ( ; ; born Szymon Perski, ; 2 August 1923 – 28 September 2016) was an Israeli politician and statesman who served as the prime minister of Israel from 1984 to 1986 and from 1995 to 1996 and as the president of Israel from 2007 t ...

and

Mahmoud Abbas Mahmoud Abbas (; born 15 November 1935), also known by the Kunya (Arabic), kunya Abu Mazen (, ), is a Palestinian politician who has been serving as the second president of Palestine and the President of the Palestinian National Authority, P ...

. Breaking the Impasse initiatives goal is to encourage and support political leaders to work towards a two-state solution. al-Masri has stated that he will keep working towards achieving peace through the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, which, like the Fez Initiative, offers Israel full recognition and normal relations with the Arabs in the context of comprehensive peace.

Personal

He is married to Angela Masri and they have four sons, Rabih, Mazen, Omar and Leith, and two daughters Mai Masri and Dina. Al-Masri is the cousin of Sabih al-Masri, one of Jordan's most prominent businessmen and the founder of the Palestine Securities Exchange.

Wealth

An Israeli newspaper once called al-Masri the "Palestinian Rothschild". Between 1998 and 2000 he built a 70-acre estate with a palace that overlooks the city of Nablus, which he named ''Beit Falasteen'' or "House of Palestine", inspired by

Andrea Palladio Andrea Palladio ( , ; ; 30 November 1508 – 19 August 1580) was an Italian Renaissance architect active in the Venetian Republic. Palladio, influenced by Roman and Greek architecture, primarily Vitruvius, is widely considered to be on ...

's 17th century Villa La Rotonda. Scholar Ghada Karmi described this as a "zealous" investment, "meant to defy the Jewish settlements encroaching on this city." She noted that the palace was "built commandingly" on a hilltop, mirroring the Israeli settlements that were attempting to gain control of the land by occupying strategic locations.Karmi, Ghada. ''One State: The Only Democratic Future for Palestine-Israel''. 1st ed. London: Pluto Press, 2023, 88-89.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Masri, Munib 1934 births People from Nablus Palestinian inventors Palestinian chief executives Palestinian investors Palestinian company founders American University of Beirut trustees Living people Public works ministers of Jordan University of Texas at Austin alumni An-Najah National University alumni Palestinian billionaires 21st-century Palestinian businesspeople Shooting survivors