Al-Quds University Achieves 5 Star Rating in QS World University Rankings

Al-Quds University has been awarded a 5 star rating by the Quality Standards (QS) World University rankings, becoming the first Palestinian university to achieve this milestone.  In celebration of this achievement, the Munib & Angela Masri Foundation held a ceremony hosted by the University’s President, Dr Imad Abu Kishek and attended by staff, dignitaries, and representatives of other Palestinian educational institutions. Several government ministers attended including Dr Mahmoud Abu Moise, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Dr Mai Kaila, Minister of Health and Dr Mohammed Al- Shalada, Minister of Justice.  The QS 5 star rating was based on Al-Quds university’s outstanding performance in various categories including research and teaching, employability, internationalization, academic development, facilities, online learning, innovation, arts and culture, inclusivity, social responsibility, environmental impact and specialization standards.  Speaking at the event, Dr Mahmoud Abu Moise, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, congratulated Al Quds and its President for its excellence and success. He continued by underlining the significant quantitative and qualitative research advancements of Palestinian higher education institutions in the areas of epidemiology, climate change, astronomy and artificial intelligence.  Founder of the Masri Foundation, Munib R. Masri, praised Al-Quds University, its staff and President for the significant development it has achieved. Masri emphasized the importance of the efficiency and advancement of Palestinian universities and the need to support them to continue to be beacons of knowledge contributing to the development of Palestinian society.  Speaking on behalf of Al-Quds university, Dr Imad Kishek thanked the Masri Foundation for their support and confirmed that the QS ranking will enhance the position and opportunities for Al Quds university graduates in both local and international job markets.  The Munib & Angela Masri Foundation is an independent, non-profit organization instrumental in the creation and support of many important educational institutions including the Munib and Angela Masri Institute of Energy and Natural Resources at the American University of Beirut, the Jackson School of Geosciences at the University of Texas at Austin and the Al-Quds Academy for Scientific Research in Jerusalem. Elsewhere in Palestine, the Masri Foundation has funded the construction of several important institutions including the Munib R. Masri Center for Innovation and Excellence at the Palestine Polytechnic University, the Munib R. Masri Scientific Research complex at the Islamic University of Gaza, the Engineering Faculty at Al Najah University and the Information Technology faculty and Center for Innovation and Excellence at Birzeit University. The Masri Foundation also supports local projects in the Arab world, including the rebuilding of schools in Yemen. ...

August 28, 2023

Community Campaign for the People of Bethlehem: A well-deserved calling of Benevolence

To ease the latest travel and work restrictions, resulting from measure taken to curb the spread of COVID19, 500 food packages were distributed to needy families residing in Bethlehem refugee camps. Taher Al Dissi, coordinator of this and other campaigns throughout the country, credited the efforts of the youth of Jerusalem and their charitable values which aim to ensure that the most vulnerable of the Palestinian community in the refugee camps are not left behind during these difficult circumstances. He also thanked the donors, namely, the Munib & Angela Masri Foundation, who are the main funders of this and the other food packages campaigns drives. Al Dissi affirmed that the people of Bethlehem have always demonstrated their loyalty to the wider Palestinian community in crises, and that was the overarching reason behind the naming and spirit behind this community driven campaign. Adding that this campaign is not a charitable one, as much as it is a national and humanitarian obligation. Campaign member Amir Maragha affirmed that the initiative came from the Jerusalemite youth movement and as a result, a framework has now been developed for these volunteers to fundraise and deliver support through appropriate channels, to other cities and needy areas throughout Palestine. ...

May 1, 2020

Mai Masri’s “3000 Nights” Wins Two Awards at Carthage Film Festival

Mai Masri’s film won the “Bronz Tanit” within the Feature Film competition  and the “Screenplay Prize” for a feature film within the Official Competition. “3000 Nights” was the third among 17 films reviewed by the jury in its 27th edition. The festival’s closing ceremony was held on Saturday night, November 5, 2016. First established in 1966, the JCC is the longest-standing film festival in the Arab world and Africa.  The festival was hosted every two years until it became an annual event since 2014. This year’s edition marked the festival’s 50th anniversary. Masri’s film, inspired by a true story and shot in a real prison in Jordan, follows a newly-wed Palestinian schoolteacher who is wrongfully imprisoned in an Israeli jail, where she gives birth to a son. ...

November 7, 2016

New Incubators For Scientific Research In Palestinian and Jordanian Universities

The Munib R. Masri Development Foundation (the “MDF”) has launched an initiative in 2015 called the Jerusalem Endowment for Scientific Research and Quality of Education in partnership with the University of Jordan and AlQuds University. By virtue of this initiative, the MDF has laid the cornerstone for six buildings in six Palestinian and Jordanian universities to be dedicated as scientific research centers each named “The Munib R. Masri Center for Scientific Research and Quality in Education.” This Jerusalem Endowment fund aims to develop scientific research and raise awareness in quality of education while transforming communities from a state of knowledge consumption only to that of exporting innovation and invention. In addition, another goal behind this initiative is to encourage and foster  a renewed environment that encourages scientific research and quality of education in conjunction with sustainable development in the public and private domain. This initiative further aims to connect all Jordanian and Palestinian universities as well as other top universities in the Middle East and North Africa. MDF intends to make these scientific incubators available in all Palestinian universities.The universities that have benefited to date from the MDF endowment initiative are: University of Jordan Alquds University Polytechnic University in Hebron Islamic University in Gaza Palestine University Palestine Technical University (Kadoorie) ...

May 4, 2016

MDF participates in funding the first 100% Palestinian funded feature Palestinian film “ Omar”

“Omar” is a feature film by the Palestinian director Hany Abu-Assad. This work is the first Palestinian film which is fully funded by Palestinians. MDF participated in funding it as part of the Foundation’s mission that aims at supporting Palestinian cultural advancement. “Omar” is the fifth fictional work for Hany Abu- Assad. It was filmed in the cities of Nablus and Nazareth and other areas near Israeli’s separation wall.  It won the Grand Jury Prize at the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival last year, and was on the short list for a nomination for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar . “Omar”, is a Palestinian baker who routinely risks his life by climbing over the separation wall in order to meet up with his sweetheart, Nadia. The plot develops when Omar is captured and imprisoned by the Israeli occupation then propositioned to work as a double agent. From here the events develop and spiral out of control… The movie was screened for the first time in Palestine on September 3rd, 2013 at The Ramallah Cultural Palace, in a packed hall and in the presence of Mr. Abu Assad and the full cast. ...

October 29, 2015

MDF Replaces Farmer’s Horse Killed by Settlers with a New Tractor

Hamid Daraghmeh, a farmer from a village outside Nablus, recently lost his horse to settler aggression and violence. The settlers killed Daragmeh’s plow horse in an unprovoked attack on his farm land adjacent to his family home. The perpetrators from a neighboring settlement have not been charged with any crime by the Israeli police, although their identities are known. Without the plow horse, Daragmeh cannot perform the daily critical tasks of turning and clearing the heavy soil of the farm, or transporting crops to market. Daragmeh is a subsistence farmer, able to provide for his family’s needs but without financial reserves or access to supplemental resources. The MDF, learning of the crime and the vulnerability of the Daragmeh family, stepped in and replaced the horse with a new tractor, which will enable Daragmeh to farm his land quickly, efficiently and more profitably. The story was covered extensively in the local Arabic press. ...

April 15, 2014