Munib Rashid al-Masri ( ar, منيب رشيد المصري), also known as the "Duke of Nablus", and "the Godfather"(b. 1934), is a

Palestinian Palestinians ( ar, الفلسطينيون, ; he, פָלַסְטִינִים, ) or Palestinian people ( ar, الشعب الفلسطيني, label=none, ), also referred to as Palestinian Arabs ( ar, الفلسطينيين العرب, label=non ...

industrialist, philanthropist, and patriarch of the al-Masri family. Relatives of his include his cousin,

Arab Bank Arab Bank is one of the largest financial institutions in the Middle East, founded in 1930 in Jerusalem, Mandatory Palestine, as the first private sector financial institution in the Arab world. Headquartered today in Amman, Jordan, it serves cl ...

and

Paltel Palestine Telecommunications (Paltel) Company ( ar, الاتصالات الفلسطينية شركة), listed in the Palestine Exchange (PEX) as PALTEL, is the largest employer (after the government) in Palestine, employing almost 3,000 people. ...

chairman Sabih al-Masri, and nephews, developer Bashar Masri, and Jordanian former prime minister

Taher al-Masri Taher Nashat al-Masri ( ar, طاهر المصري; born March 5, 1942) is a Jordanian of Palestinian origin who served as the 28th Prime Minister of Jordan from 19 June 1991 to 21 November 1991. He opposed the invasion of Iraq but reportedly wan ...

. One of

Yasser Arafat Mohammed Abdel Rahman Abdel Raouf al-Qudwa al-Husseini (4 / 24 August 1929 – 11 November 2004), popularly known as Yasser Arafat ( , ; ar, محمد ياسر عبد الرحمن عبد الرؤوف عرفات القدوة الحسيني, Mu ...

's closest friends and supporters, al-Masri has served as a minister in the cabinet of

Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...

, and has on multiple occasions declined both the presidency and the prime ministership of Palestine.

Personal life

al-Masri was born in Nablus in 1934. He attended the

an-Najah National University An-Najah National University ( ar, جامعة النجاح الوطنية) is a Palestinian non-governmental public university governed by a board of trustees. It is located in Nablus, in the northern West Bank. The university has 22,000 stude ...

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. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...

in the United States. He was involved in establishing the

al-Quds University Al-Quds University ( ar, جامعة القدس) is a Palestinian university with campuses in Jerusalem, Abu Dis, al-Bireh, and Hebron. Overview The idea of establishing an institution of higher learning in the outskirts of Jerusalem was con ...

. His wealth is rooted in the oil and gas business, but much of his investments fall under th
Edgo Group
his holding company which operates in contracting, industrial development, trading, distribution and representation, project development, operation and maintenance. Between 1998 and 2000 he built a house which he named ''Beit Falasteen'' or "House of Palestine", near Nablus, 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 one of ...

Villa Capra "La Rotonda" Villa La Rotonda is a Renaissance villa just outside Vicenza in northern Italy designed by Italian Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio. The villa's correct name is Villa Almerico Capra Valmarana, but it is also known as "La Rotonda", "Villa Rot ...

. He is married to Angela Masri and they have four sons, Rabih, Mazen, Omar and Leith, and two daughters Mai Masri and Dina.

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 held at the Dead Sea. 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 [of the initiative] are 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 Abdullah II of Jordan, King Abdullah of Jordan and attended by John Kerry, Shimon Peres and Mahmoud Abbas. 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.

References

External links

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Prime Ministry of Jordan website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Masri, Munib 1934 births Palestinian businesspeople People from Nablus Palestinian inventors Palestinian chief executives Palestinian investors Palestinian philanthropists Palestinian company founders American University of Beirut trustees Living people Government ministers of Jordan Public works ministers of Jordan University of Texas at Austin alumni An-Najah National University alumni