The Palestinian tycoon who sued Britain over 1917 declaration
NABLUS, Palestinian Territories: Si ing in an antique armchair in the dappled light of his Renaissance-inspired West Bank mansion, Palestinian billionaire Munib al-Masri raised a subject that has angered him for eight decades.
“Can you quote me the 58 words of Balfour’s declaration?” he asked AFP, referring to the 1917 statement se ing out London’s support for a national home for the Jewish people in Palestine.
Sometimes referred to as the “Godfather of Palestine”, Masri is the patriarch of a family empire that has interests in telecommunications, finance, industry and Palestinian real estate.
The 86-year-old lives alone in Beit al-Falestine (Palestine House), his mansion overlooking Nablus in the occupied West Bank.
On display in the opulent home are photos of Masri with Nelson Mandela, US presidential candidate Joe Biden and iconic Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, whom Masri smuggled from Jordan to Syria in 1970 in the boot of his car.
He has served as a minister in the Jordanian government and in the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority.
But despite his financial success, political achievements and advanced years, Masri told AFP that he remains consumed by the declaration by British foreign secretary Arthur James Balfour, seen as a precursor to Israel’s creation in 1948.
The Balfour Declaration begins by stating that “His Majesty’s Government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object”.
A er the sentence was read to him, Masri said: “you forgot the main thing.”
He then completed the declaration himself.
“Nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine.”
“That tells you that we have no political rights,” Masri said.
Earlier this month, he and several activists filed a lawsuit in Palestinian court seeking compensation from Britain for the “wrongs” caused by Balfour. — AFP