Munib al-Masri

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

Relatives include a cousin, Arab Bank and Paltel chairman Sabih al-Masri, and nephews, developer Bashar Masri, and Jordanian former prime minister Taher al-Masri. Brothers and sisters are Rady, Zaher, Zuheir, Mahrous, Ezdihar, Mamdouh, Madeeh, Raafat and Madeha.

One of Yasser Arafat'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.

Al-Masri made his fortune in the oil industry, then returned to the West Bank in the 1990s and founded a stock exchange in Nablus.

In the 2000s, al-Masri founded the Muntada Forum, a Palestinian lobbying group aimed at promoting reform and dialogue among the warring Palestinian factions.

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 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.

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".