Latest news with #BasharMasri
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Harvard dean's council member resigns from post after lawsuit claims he 'aided and abetted' Hamas
A member of the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government Dean's Council has resigned from his position after he was sued last week by nearly 200 family members of Americans killed in Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 terror attack on Israeli concert-goers. According to the lawsuit, Bashar Masri, a Palestinian American billionaire, is accused of "aiding and abetting" Hamas by helping the terror group build tunnels and rocket launch sites, as well as allowing top Hamas leaders to use his facilities at his properties in Gaza. Masri resigned from his Harvard post in the wake of the allegations. The Kennedy School of Government confirmed his resignation in an email to Fox News Digital on Thursday. Trump Admin Sets Terms For Harvard To Address Antisemitism To Avoid Losing Billions In Taxpayer Dollars "Following conversations with the Kennedy School of Government, Bashar Masri has stepped down from his role on the Dean's Council, while he seeks the dismissal of the false allegations made against him," Masri's office told Fox News Digital. "Neither he nor any businesses associated with him have ever engaged in unlawful activity or provided support for violence and militancy," the statement said. "Bashar Masri has been involved in development and humanitarian work for decades. His continued efforts to promote regional peace and stability have been widely recognized by the United States and all concerns parties in the region. He unequivocally opposes violence of any kind." Read On The Fox News App The lawsuit paints a different picture. Trump College Crackdown: List Of Students Detained Amid Antisemitism On Campuses "Masri and the companies he controls—including Defendants Palestine Development & Investment Company ("PADICO"), Palestine Real Estate Investment Company ("PRICO"), and Palestinian Industrial Estate Development Company ("PIEDCO")—developed and operated prime properties in Gaza for outwardly legitimate purposes," the lawsuit, filed in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia on April 7, reads. READ THE LAWSUIT – App Users, Click Here: "But in reality, they were also used to construct and conceal Hamas's attack tunnels, store and launch its rockets at Israel, host Hamas leadership and foot soldiers, train Hamas naval commandos—and even to produce electricity for Hamas's attack tunnel infrastructure," according to the suit. "Just prior to the October 7 Attack, Masri even installed an individual closely tied to Hamas as Chairman of PIEDCO." That leader was identified in the lawsuit as Yahya Sinwar, head of Hamas in the Gaza Strip of Hamas in the Gaza Strip beginning in 2017, whom the lawsuit alleges used Masri's luxury seaside hotels "to host public and private Hamas events." The Israeli Defense Force (IDF) killed Sinwar last October. Harvard Went Easy On Students For Antisemitic Conduct, House Committee Finds Masri is the man behind the $350 million Rawabi project, an effort to create the first modern industrial area in the West Bank. The lawsuit alleges that that project was mostly funded by a Qatari state-owned real estate investment firm. "In 2018 he established and currently funds the graduate Rawabi Fellowship for Leaders from Palestine at the Harvard University Kennedy School. This fellowship program provides tuition, health insurance, and stipends for Palestinian graduate students at Harvard," the lawsuit says. The Gaza Industrial Estate (GIE), is described as the "crown jewel" of Masri's developments, which the lawsuit says was financed through Masri's companies with money from USAID, the United Nations, the European Union, and more recently, the International Finance Company (IFC) in Washington. "In developing the GIE, Masri and the other Defendants worked directly, openly, and knowingly with senior Hamas leaders, including, in the months before the October 7 Attack, the Hamas official in charge of the development of Hamas's military-industrial base in Gaza," the lawsuit says. According to the lawsuit, while GIE appeared to be a totally legitimate company that manufactured products to meet the needs of ordinary people, it was very closely tied to Hamas terror, saying that "…Masri and the companies he controls worked with Hamas to construct and conceal an elaborate subterranean attack tunnel network which Hamas used to burrow under the border into Israel, to attack nearby Israeli communities, and to ambush Israeli military personnel." The suit claims that GIE was used to "probe the border fence and test the IDF's response times and countermeasures in the lead up to the October 7 Attack," and that "Hamas even installed an anti-tank battery in one of the GIE's water towers facing the border." Masri's office called the complaint "baseless." "He was shocked to learn through the media that a baseless complaint was filed today referring to false allegations against him and certain businesses he is associated with," his office told Fox News Digital. "Neither he nor those entities have ever engaged in unlawful activity or provided support for violence and militancy."Original article source: Harvard dean's council member resigns from post after lawsuit claims he 'aided and abetted' Hamas
Fox News
17-04-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Harvard dean's council member resigns from post after lawsuit claims he 'aided and abetted' Hamas
A member of the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government Dean's Council has resigned from his position after he was sued last week by nearly 200 family members of Americans killed in Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 terror attack on Israeli concert-goers. According to the lawsuit, Bashar Masri, a Palestinian American billionaire, is accused of "aiding and abetting" Hamas by helping the terror group build tunnels and rocket launch sites, as well as allowing top Hamas leaders to use his facilities at his properties in Gaza. Masri resigned from his Harvard post in the wake of the allegations. The Kennedy School of Government confirmed his resignation in an email to Fox News Digital on Thursday. "Following conversations with the Kennedy School of Government, Bashar Masri has stepped down from his role on the Dean's Council, while he seeks the dismissal of the false allegations made against him," Masri's office told Fox News Digital. "Neither he nor any businesses associated with him have ever engaged in unlawful activity or provided support for violence and militancy," the statement said. "Bashar Masri has been involved in development and humanitarian work for decades. His continued efforts to promote regional peace and stability have been widely recognized by the United States and all concerns parties in the region. He unequivocally opposes violence of any kind." The lawsuit paints a different picture. "Masri and the companies he controls—including Defendants Palestine Development & Investment Company ("PADICO"), Palestine Real Estate Investment Company ("PRICO"), and Palestinian Industrial Estate Development Company ("PIEDCO")—developed and operated prime properties in Gaza for outwardly legitimate purposes," the lawsuit, filed in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia on April 7, reads. READ THE LAWSUIT – APP USERS, CLICK HERE: "But in reality, they were also used to construct and conceal Hamas's attack tunnels, store and launch its rockets at Israel, host Hamas leadership and foot soldiers, train Hamas naval commandos—and even to produce electricity for Hamas's attack tunnel infrastructure," according to the suit. "Just prior to the October 7 Attack, Masri even installed an individual closely tied to Hamas as Chairman of PIEDCO." That leader was identified in the lawsuit as Yahya Sinwar, head of Hamas in the Gaza Strip of Hamas in the Gaza Strip beginning in 2017, whom the lawsuit alleges used Masri's luxury seaside hotels "to host public and private Hamas events." The Israeli Defense Force (IDF) killed Sinwar last October. Masri is the man behind the $350 million Rawabi project, an effort to create the first modern industrial area in the West Bank. The lawsuit alleges that that project was mostly funded by a Qatari state-owned real estate investment firm. "In 2018 he established and currently funds the graduate Rawabi Fellowship for Leaders from Palestine at the Harvard University Kennedy School. This fellowship program provides tuition, health insurance, and stipends for Palestinian graduate students at Harvard," the lawsuit says. The Gaza Industrial Estate (GIE), is described as the "crown jewel" of Masri's developments, which the lawsuit says was financed through Masri's companies with money from USAID, the United Nations, the European Union, and more recently, the International Finance Company (IFC) in Washington. "In developing the GIE, Masri and the other Defendants worked directly, openly, and knowingly with senior Hamas leaders, including, in the months before the October 7 Attack, the Hamas official in charge of the development of Hamas's military-industrial base in Gaza," the lawsuit says. According to the lawsuit, while GIE appeared to be a totally legitimate company that manufactured products to meet the needs of ordinary people, it was very closely tied to Hamas terror, saying that "…Masri and the companies he controls worked with Hamas to construct and conceal an elaborate subterranean attack tunnel network which Hamas used to burrow under the border into Israel, to attack nearby Israeli communities, and to ambush Israeli military personnel." The suit claims that GIE was used to "probe the border fence and test the IDF's response times and countermeasures in the lead up to the October 7 Attack," and that "Hamas even installed an anti-tank battery in one of the GIE's water towers facing the border." Masri's office called the complaint "baseless." "He was shocked to learn through the media that a baseless complaint was filed today referring to false allegations against him and certain businesses he is associated with," his office told Fox News Digital. "Neither he nor those entities have ever engaged in unlawful activity or provided support for violence and militancy."
Al Arabiya
09-04-2025
- Business
- Al Arabiya
US families accuse Palestinian-American billionaire of facilitating Hamas attacks
American families of victims of the October 7, 2023, attacks on Israel filed a lawsuit on Monday against a prominent Palestinian-American businessman, Bashar Masri, charging that he provided assistance in constructing infrastructure that allowed Hamas militants to carry out their cross-border rampage. The lawsuit, filed in the US District Court for Washington, D.C., is thought to be the first case of a US citizen being accused of providing major support for the attacks that triggered a wider Middle East conflict and upended the region. Masri's office called the lawsuit 'baseless.' According to a statement announcing the lawsuit, properties Masri owned, developed and controlled, including two luxury hotels and the leading industrial zone in Gaza - the Gaza Industrial Estate - 'concealed tunnels underneath them, and had tunnel entrances accessible from within the properties, which Hamas used in terrorist operations before, on and after October 7th.' 'Defendants facilitated the construction and concealment of those tunnels and even built above-ground solar panel installations that they then used to supply Hamas with electricity to the tunnels,' it said. The October 7 attacks killed some 1,200 Israelis, including more than 40 Americans, and prompted Israeli retaliation against Gaza that has since killed more than 50,000 Palestinians. The lawsuit, which targets Masri and his companies, was filed on behalf of nearly 200 American plaintiffs, including survivors and relatives of victims. 'Our goal is to expose those who have aided and abetted Hamas and to try and bring accountability to individuals and companies that have presented a legitimate and moderate image to the Western world but have actively and knowingly helped Hamas,' Lee Wolosky of the Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP law firm, lead attorney representing the plaintiffs, said in the statement. It said GIE was originally established with the help of US taxpayer funding via the US Agency for International Development to promote economic growth in the region. It said of that 'as a result of defendants' deception,' Hamas' tunnel network was built with the help of infrastructure and energy projects financed by international institutions, including the World Bank's International Finance Corporation. Masri's office called the allegations against him and his businesses false and said he would seek their dismissal in court. It said Masri had been involved in development and humanitarian work for the past decades and 'unequivocally opposes violence of any kind.' 'Neither he nor those entities have ever engaged in unlawful activity or provided support for violence and militancy,' it said in a statement. Doing any big projects in Gaza prior to the war would have required tacit approval by, and some level of cooperation with, the Hamas authorities. The group built its extensive tunnel network across practically the entire territory, including under private homes and businesses. A March 10 article in the Jerusalem Post cited unnamed diplomatic sources as saying that Masri had served as a close adviser to Adam Boehler, US President Donald Trump's envoy seeking release of hostages held in Gaza, and had flown on Boehler's private jet as he shuttled across the region. It called Masri 'a seasoned entrepreneur' who 'shares a business-minded approach with Trump, making him a natural fit in the administration's economic vision for the region.'
Arab News
08-04-2025
- Business
- Arab News
US families accuse Palestinian-American billionaire of facilitating Hamas attacks
WASHINGTON: American families of victims of the October 7, 2023, attacks on Israel filed a lawsuit on Monday against a prominent Palestinian-American businessman, Bashar Masri, charging that he provided assistance in constructing infrastructure that allowed Hamas militants to carry out their cross-border rampage. The lawsuit, filed in the US District Court for Washington, D.C., is thought to be the first case of a US citizen being accused of providing major support for the attacks that triggered a wider Middle East conflict and upended the region. Masri's office called the lawsuit 'baseless.' According to a statement announcing the lawsuit, properties Masri owned, developed and controlled, including two luxury hotels and the leading industrial zone in Gaza – the Gaza Industrial Estate — 'concealed tunnels underneath them, and had tunnel entrances accessible from within the properties, which Hamas used in terrorist operations before, on and after October 7th.' 'Defendants facilitated the construction and concealment of those tunnels and even built above-ground solar panel installations that they then used to supply Hamas with electricity to the tunnels,' it said. The October 7 attacks killed some 1,200 Israelis, including more than 40 Americans, and prompted Israeli retaliation against Gaza that has since killed more than 50,000 Palestinians. The lawsuit, which targets Masri and his companies, was filed on behalf of nearly 200 American plaintiffs, including survivors and relatives of victims. 'Our goal is to expose those who have aided and abetted Hamas and to try and bring accountability to individuals and companies that have presented a legitimate and moderate image to the Western world but have actively and knowingly helped Hamas,' Lee Wolosky of the Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP law firm, lead attorney representing the plaintiffs, said in the statement. It said GIE was originally established with the help of US taxpayer funding via the US Agency for International Development to promote economic growth in the region. It said of that 'as a result of defendants' deception,' Hamas' tunnel network was built with the help of infrastructure and energy projects financed by international institutions, including the World Bank's International Finance Corporation. Masri's office called the allegations against him and his businesses false and said he would seek their dismissal in court. It said Masri had been involved in development and humanitarian work for the past decades and 'unequivocally opposes violence of any kind.' 'Neither he nor those entities have ever engaged in unlawful activity or provided support for violence and militancy,' it said in a statement. Doing any big projects in Gaza prior to the war would have required tacit approval by, and some level of cooperation with, the Hamas authorities. The group built its extensive tunnel network across practically the entire territory, including under private homes and businesses. A March 10 article in the Jerusalem Post cited unnamed diplomatic sources as saying that Masri had served as a close adviser to Adam Boehler, US President Donald Trump's envoy seeking release of hostages held in Gaza, and had flown on Boehler's private jet as he shuttled across the region. It called Masri 'a seasoned entrepreneur' who 'shares a business-minded approach with Trump, making him a natural fit in the administration's economic vision for the region.' The State Department and White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment when asked about the newspaper report. In a Reuters interview in October 2020, when he was 59, Masri spoke in favor of Gulf Arab ties with Israel, condemned by Palestinian leaders, saying they could be an opportunity to apply fresh pressure to halt Jewish settlement in occupied land. When speaking to Reuters in 2020, Masri said Palestinians must not give up hope. 'Our enemies want us to give up hope. If we give up hope, they have exactly what they want, and there will be no Palestine, and no Palestinian people,' he said.
New York Times
07-04-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Lawsuit Accuses Prominent Palestinian American of Supporting Hamas
Families of victims of the Hamas-led terrorist attack on Oct. 7, 2023, sued a prominent Palestinian American businessman on Monday, accusing him of supporting Hamas by developing properties that were crucial to the terrorist group's operations. According to the lawsuit, Bashar Masri, a wealthy developer, operated hotels and an industrial site in Gaza to 'construct and conceal' a labyrinthine network of tunnels that allowed Hamas to 'store and launch its rockets at Israel.' 'The properties defendants developed with Hamas were not only part of the infrastructure Hamas used in connection with the Oct. 7 attack itself,' the lawsuit added. 'Their development deliberately advanced Hamas's false narrative that it was interested primarily in the economic development of Gaza and a grudging coexistence with Israel.' The lawsuit was filed in Federal District Court in Washington, where Mr. Masri has a home. It does not say that Mr. Masri and the companies he controls knew about the attack in advance but does assert that they were aware of the Hamas military infrastructure at their properties. Mr. Masri, a respected entrepreneur, denied the allegations. Mr. Masri 'was shocked to learn through the media that a baseless complaint was filed today referring to false allegations against him and certain businesses he is associated with,' a statement from his office said. 'Neither he nor those entities have ever engaged in unlawful activity or provided support for violence and militancy.' The complaint comes at a politically sensitive time for Mr. Masri, who has been linked to the hostage envoy for the Trump administration who has been involved in efforts to free the remaining captives being held by Hamas in Gaza. Mr. Masri is expected to play a role in the reconstruction of Gaza. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
