Lawsuit against Palestinian-American developer accused of aiding Hamas re-filed in Florida after billionaire evades service

WASHINGTON — Families of victims killed by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, are re-filing their legal complaint against a Palestinian-American developer in Florida after the billionaire defendant could not be served near his DC-area home.

Bashar Masri, known for building the “futuristic” city of Rawabi in the West Bank as well as other construction projects in the Gaza Strip, was accused in April by terror victims’ families of “aiding and abetting” Hamas operations at his properties, per the initial filing in DC federal court.

Now, lawyers for the plaintiffs say that Masri has continued to dodge the suit despite giving interviews on its allegations to Israeli media.

Masri’s wife also told attorneys bringing the complaint that her husband no longer lives at their capital residence.

In an interview with Israeli journalist Avner Borochov, Masri claimed in response to the lawsuit that Hamas “is in charge of everything, and what choice do you have? Whether to give Hamas more strength or to abandon our Gazan employees?”

Lead plaintiff Tom Shalom, who lives in southern Florida and whose brother Ram was killed trying to flee the Nova music festival, responded in a statement: “I would have much preferred that Mr. Masri abandon his Gazan employees than give Hamas more strength. It’s a pretty shocking admission for him — or any American — to make.

“By murdering my brother, Hamas brought the war to my home, and I can’t change that fact,” Shalom added. “But by bringing this case to Florida, where I live, we hope to show that accountability, not just the pain, can be found here.”

The Nova festival was one of several locations where the terror group attacked Israelis on Oct. 7, killing more than 1,200 and taking more than 250 captive back to Gaza.

Masri oversaw construction projects at sites in Gaza through a holding company, Massar International, and businesses like the Palestine Development and Investment Company (PADICO), which he chairs.

A naturalized American, Masri helped build an industrial park in Gaza just yards from Kibbutz Nahal Oz, near the Karni crossing from Israel, as well as two lavish hotels on the Mediterranean — which were later used for Hamas’ tunnel infrastructure and rocket launch sites, according to the civil complaint.

The hotels — the Ayan and Blue Beach — were also used as a training ground for Hamas’ Qassam Brigades, with shafts that descended directly from guest rooms into tunnels, per the complaint brought by attorneys at Willkie Farr and Gallagher LLP, Stein Mitchell Beato and Missner LLP and Osen LLC.

“Masri should come to the U.S. and justify his conduct in court — not just in media interviews from abroad,” said Lee Wolosky, a partner at Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP and a former national security official in multiple presidential administrations.

Days after the suit was filed in DC court this past April, Masri resigned from his position on the dean’s council at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.

“The lawsuit raises serious allegations that should be vetted and addressed through the legal process,” a spokesperson for the Kennedy School said in an April 10 statement.

“Mr. Masri has sought to burnish his reputation through positions in elite institutions, including Harvard,” added Jonathan Missner, managing partner at Stein Mitchell Beato & Missner LLP.

“But after this lawsuit was filed, Harvard recognized the seriousness of the allegations against him and now he is no longer affiliated with Harvard — a recognition that respected institutions should not provide cover to individuals credibly accused of aiding a US-designated terrorist organization.”

A rep for Masri’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.