"It will be a pre-eminent centre for jazz in the Middle East, " Alfardan said at the time and a place for those who are "passionate about this unique art form".

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The Bumble Bee investment is reflective of the broader style at Centre, which Pollack and Jaffe say focuses on middle-market opportunities where the firm can leverage its strengths to help business owners and management teams that may not want to run an auction process with 50 bidders getting involved.

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But it would become harder for them to get along with the clutch of centre-left parties within the present ruling coalition, most of which still want to woo middle-of-the-road voters.

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He has also endowed the Khalili Research Centre for the Arts and Material Culture of the Middle East at the University of Oxford, and is the co-founder and chairman of the Maimonides Foundation, which promotes peace and understanding between the three great monotheistic faiths: Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

UNESCO: Detailview | United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization