Birth: 1/1/1942 Death:2/3/1986
Born in Nablus in 1942; lived and completed his secondary education in Nablus; went on to study Business Administration at the AUB, graduating in 1964; returned to Nablus to manage the businesses and affairs of his family in the West Bank; was elected head of the Chamber of Commerce in 1972, the youngest member ever to hold this post in the history of the city; in the 1976 municipal elections, was elected Deputy Mayor of Nablus; held both posts until 1982, when the Israeli government dissolved the municipal board placing the city under martial law and leaving it without local leadership for three and a half years; in 1985, when the PLO took steps to reestablish local control over the affairs of the West Bank cities senior PLO official, Khalil Al-Wazir proposed a solution based on the Jordanian laws governing municipality affairs; accordingly, the Chamber of Commerce took over management of the municipality until new elections would be held and as leader of the Chamber, Al-Masri became the de-facto Mayor of Nablus; was assassinated on 2 March 1986 by activists of the PFLP, who strongly opposed his holding that post; his funeral was attended by over 200,000 people; in addition to his civic activities, was known for his generosity and was referred to as “Father of the Poor”, because of his support of many needy families in Nablus; his philanthropic and national activities are continued today through the Zafer Al-Masri Foundation serving the citizens of Nablus and Palestine.
