Palestinian Billionaire Bashar Masri resigned from his position at Harvard University Kennedy School of Government after he was accused in a lawsuit that he had helped finance tunnel infrastructure and rocket launch sites on behalf of Hamas, according to a Thursday New York Post report.
Masri served on Harvard's dean's council, the report said, and was accused of using United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Gazan infrastructure projects that received funds internationally to facilitate the terrorist organizations' tunnel systems. Masri had also reportedly rebuilt the Gaza Industrial Estate (GIE) with USAID support following Operation Guardian of the Walls in 2021.
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of 200 family members of the October 7 victims by law firms Osen LLC, Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP, Stein Mitchell Beato & Missner LLP, and Motley Rice LLC. The lawsuit claims that he and his corporations and holdings violated the Anti-Terrorism Act. Family members involved in bringing the lawsuit forward include Jon Polin and Rachel Goldberg, parents of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, as well as relatives of slain soldier Itay Chen, according to the report.
The lawsuit against Masri "raises serious allegations that should be vetted and addressed through the legal process," a Kennedy School of Government spokesperson told The New York Post.
Masri's office described the lawsuit as "baseless," according to the report, adding that he has never "engaged in unlawful activity or provided support for violence."
Masri has also collaborated with Hamas officials, such as the terror group's manufacturing division commander and economy minister Abd al-Fattah al-Zari’i, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike last August for his role in seizing humanitarian aid coming into the Gaza Strip and facilitating Hamas operations. In May 2022, Masri was photographed with al-Zari’i, who were both working on a GIE joint venture.
Other positions held by Masri
Masri had also quietly positioned himself as a key player in the Trump administration’s post-war plans for Gaza and served as an advisor to administration's then-Hostage Affairs Envoy Adam Boehler, who withdrew his nomination last month from the position after facing scrutiny for direct talks with Hamas.
Masri is also behind Rawabi, which is the first planned Palestinian city in the West Bank, located in Area A, under full Palestinian Authority control.
The Palestinian billionaire was sued in Washington, where he has a home, and oversaw his construction projects from the US capital through a business he chairs called the Palestine Development and Investment Company (PADICO), as well as a holding company called Massar International, The New York Post reported. One PADICO board member, Dr. Dalal Iriqat, said on the day of the Hamas attacks that the massacre that took place was "just a normal human struggle."
Plaintiff and former Israeli science and technology minister Izhar Shay said that two luxury hotels held by PADICO have allegedly been involved in facilitating rockets and tunnel operations on the behest of the terrorist organization.
The billionaire was interviewed by The Jerusalem Post in 2011 about his billion-dollar project in Rawabi, saying, "Politically speaking, this is not the safest place in the world to do business. It is one of the highest risk places. Obviously, with this kind of money and investment, you are better off going somewhere else."
Born in Nablus, Masri also participated in protests against Israel in his youth.
Michael Starr, Tovah Lazaroff, Deborah Danan, and Ben Caspit contributed to this report.
