[Independent-UK ] Donald Macintyre - Munib al-Masri, 74, built a replica of a 16th century Renaissance palace on top of a mountain overlooking the West Bank city of Nablus. He admits to being "maybe" the richest Palestinian in his native land "though there are plenty of richer ones outside it." A multi-millionaire, philanthropist and close friend of Yasser Arafat, he turned down the prime ministership of the PA three times. His refusal was based in part on his short-lived experience as a minister in the immediate post-Oslo PA. Arafat "knew nothing about management. I could not work like that. I could not tolerate the privileges Arafat bestowed on people - $50,000 for this, $20,000 for that. You have to have systems. You have to have procedures." Masri's recent venture into politics with the Palestine Forum faces an uphill struggle in representing a "silent majority" outside Fatah and Hamas. The company he formed, Padico, owns among much else a 30% stake in PalTel, the mobile phone company operating in Gaza and the West Bank.
2008-06-27 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive