Eli Avidar
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Eli Avidar (; born 3 December 1964) is a former Israeli politician who founded the Israel Free political party in 2022. Prior to this, he was a member of the
Knesset The Knesset ( , ) is the Unicameralism, unicameral legislature of Israel. The Knesset passes all laws, elects the President of Israel, president and Prime Minister of Israel, prime minister, approves the Cabinet of Israel, cabinet, and supe ...
for
Yisrael Beiteinu Yisrael Beiteinu (, ) is a conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may ...
and served as
Minister in the Prime Minister's Office A Minister in the Prime Minister's Office (, ''Sar BeMisrad Rosh HaMemshala'') is a minister and member of the Cabinet of Israel appointed by the Prime Minister of Israel to handle various issues on behalf of the Prime Minister. Current and form ...
from 2021 to 2022. Before being elected to the Knesset in 2019, Avidar was the president of the
fintech Financial technology (abbreviated as fintech) refers to the application of innovative technologies to products and services in the financial industry. This broad term encompasses a wide array of technological advancements in financial services, ...
start-up Dindex Ltd. and Vice President of the World Jewellery Confederation. He is former Managing Director of the
Israel Diamond Institute Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
Group of Companies, the Israel Diamond Exchange, as well as a former senior diplomat in the
Israeli Foreign Ministry The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs (; ) is one of the most important ministries in the Israeli government. The ministry's role is to implement Israel's foreign policy, and promote economic, cultural, and scientific relations with other c ...
.


Biography


Early life and education

Avidar was born as Eli Aboudara in
Alexandria Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...
,
Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...
, in 1964, to
Sephardic Jewish Sephardic Jews, also known as Sephardi Jews or Sephardim, and rarely as Iberian Peninsular Jews, are a Jewish diaspora population associated with the historic Jewish communities of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal) and their descendant ...
parents Isaac and Fortuna Aboudara. His father was deputy mayor of
Bat Yam Bat Yam ( ) is a city on Israel's Mediterranean Sea coast, on the Central Coastal Plain just south of Tel Aviv. It is part of the Gush Dan metropolitan area and the Tel Aviv District. In , it had a population of . History British Mandate Bat Y ...
from 1973–1977. His ancestors, originally from
Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...
, moved to
Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...
at the end of the 19th century. His family immigrated to Israel in 1967, immediately after the
Six-Day War The Six-Day War, also known as the June War, 1967 Arab–Israeli War or Third Arab–Israeli War, was fought between Israel and a coalition of Arab world, Arab states, primarily United Arab Republic, Egypt, Syria, and Jordan from 5 to 10June ...
. In 1982, Avidar enlisted in the
Israel Defense Forces The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the State of Israel. It consists of three service branches: the Israeli Ground Forces, the Israeli Air Force, and ...
, and served in the Nachal Unit. Later, he graduated from the Intelligence Corps Officer Training School. He served as a case officer in a special unit, with the rank of Captain (Res). Today, he holds the rank of Major (Res). After completing his army service in 1989, he graduated from the
Hebrew University The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI; ) is an Israeli public research university based in Jerusalem. Co-founded by Albert Einstein and Chaim Weizmann in July 1918, the public university officially opened on 1 April 1925. It is the second-ol ...
in
Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...
with a B.A. in Middle East and General Studies. He completed his M.A. degree in 2009 in Middle Eastern Studies at the
Tel Aviv University Tel Aviv University (TAU) is a Public university, public research university in Tel Aviv, Israel. With over 30,000 students, it is the largest university in the country. Located in northwest Tel Aviv, the university is the center of teaching and ...
.


Diplomatic activities

In 1992, after his B.A. studies, he was accepted to the Foreign Ministry Cadet Training Course, and, a year later, he was appointed as Vice-Consul in
Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
, United States, where he served for three years. His main duties included working with opinion-makers in the
Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
community and American elected politicians in the five states covered by the consulate. From 1996 to 1998, Avidar was responsible for the Foreign Ministry department dealing with Inter-Religious affairs, specifically regarding
Islamic Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
relations. In 1998, Avidar was appointed as Foreign Policy Advisor to the Director-General of the Foreign Ministry. In 1999, he was appointed as Foreign Policy Advisor to the Minister of Foreign Affairs,
Ariel Sharon Ariel Sharon ( ; also known by his diminutive Arik, ; 26 February 192811 January 2014) was an Israeli general and politician who served as the prime minister of Israel from March 2001 until April 2006. Born in Kfar Malal in Mandatory Palestin ...
. During this period, he held the position of the chairman of the "Third Track" peace negotiation committee with the
Palestinians Palestinians () are an Arab ethnonational group native to the Levantine region of Palestine. *: "Palestine was part of the first wave of conquest following Muhammad's death in 632 CE; Jerusalem fell to the Caliph Umar in 638. The indigenou ...
. In 1999, Avidar was sent to the Emirate of
Qatar Qatar, officially the State of Qatar, is a country in West Asia. It occupies the Geography of Qatar, Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it shares Qatar–Saudi Arabia border, its sole land b ...
as the Head of the Israeli Delegation, a position he held until 2001. He operated a trade office which served as a de facto embassy, but did not fly the Israeli flag. After the eruption of the
second Intifada The Second Intifada (; ), also known as the Al-Aqsa Intifada, was a major uprising by Palestinians against Israel and its Israeli-occupied territories, occupation from 2000. Starting as a civilian uprising in Jerusalem and October 2000 prot ...
in 2000, Qatar was the only of several Arab states to maintain diplomatic relations with Israel via this trade office, as opposed to
Oman Oman, officially the Sultanate of Oman, is a country located on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in West Asia and the Middle East. It shares land borders with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Oman’s coastline ...
,
Tunisia Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Tunisia also shares m ...
, and
Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...
, which broke off their diplomatic relations with the country. As a mark of appreciation, the then-Foreign Minister, Prof.
Shlomo Ben-Ami Shlomo Ben-Ami (; born 17 July 1943) is a former Israeli diplomat, politician, and historian who participated in the Israeli–Palestinian peace process, including the 2000 Camp David Summit. Biography Shlomo Benabou (later Ben-Ami) was born i ...
, appointed Avidar as Consul-General to
Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...
and
Macau Macau or Macao is a special administrative regions of China, special administrative region of the People's Republic of China (PRC). With a population of about people and a land area of , it is the most List of countries and dependencies by p ...
. From 2001–2005, while he was Consul-General in Hong Kong, Avidar devoted most of his efforts to promoting economic
relations Relation or relations may refer to: General uses * International relations, the study of interconnection of politics, economics, and law on a global level * Interpersonal relationship, association or acquaintance between two or more people * ...
and increasing trade with Israel. The number of Israeli companies operating in Hong Kong during his stay had increased by nearly five times, and trade between Israel and Hong Kong between 2001-2004 had risen by 27%. In 2003, Avidar, along with the German consulate and the Jewish community of Hong Kong, objected to the use of Nazi iconography by Hong Kong businesses, attributing the incident to a lack of education about the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. In 2006, following his service in Hong Kong and Macau, Avidar was placed in charge of humanitarian and economic relations with the
Palestinian Authority The Palestinian Authority (PA), officially known as the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), is the Fatah-controlled government body that exercises partial civil control over the Palestinian enclaves in the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, ...
within the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs. During the
Second Lebanon War The 2006 Lebanon War was a 34-day armed conflict in Lebanon, fought between Hezbollah and Israel. The war started on 12 July 2006, and continued until a United Nations-brokered ceasefire went into effect in the morning on 14 August 2006, thoug ...
, he volunteered to act as spokesman to the Arabic language media, and appeared a significant number of times on
Al Jazeera Al Jazeera Media Network (AJMN; , ) is a private-media conglomerate headquartered in Wadi Al Sail, Doha, funded in part by the government of Qatar. The network's flagship channels include Al Jazeera Arabic and Al Jazeera English, which pro ...
, as well as other Arabic satellite channels. Immediately after the end of the
Second Lebanon War The 2006 Lebanon War was a 34-day armed conflict in Lebanon, fought between Hezbollah and Israel. The war started on 12 July 2006, and continued until a United Nations-brokered ceasefire went into effect in the morning on 14 August 2006, thoug ...
, Avidar resigned from his position in the Foreign Ministry to take a period of leave.


Business activities

In October 2006, Avidar was appointed by the board of directors of the
Israel Diamond Institute Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
Group of Companies as its Managing Director. Among the companies under his responsibility and direct management are IDI, HODM, IDT, IDINY, and IDI Asia Pacific. During his tenure as Managing Director, the Institute worked with its counterparts to better enable those in the diamond industry to operate in China. The IDI hosted the World Diamond Congress in May 2007. In November of that year, the Institute also hosted the President of
Liberia Liberia, officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to Guinea–Liberia border, its north, Ivory Coast to Ivory Coast–Lib ...
,
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Ellen Eugenia Johnson Sirleaf (born 29 October 1938) is a Liberian politician who served as the 24th president of Liberia from 2006 to 2018. Sirleaf was the first elected female head of state in Africa. Sirleaf was born in Monrovia to a Gol ...
, and a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Israeli and the Liberian diamond sectors. In 2008, Avidar visited
Sierra Leone Sierra Leone, officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered to the southeast by Liberia and by Guinea to the north. Sierra Leone's land area is . It has a tropical climate and envi ...
, at the invitation of the Sierra Leone government, and met President Dr
Ernest Bai Koroma Ernest Bai Koroma (born 2 October 1953) is a Sierra Leonean politician who served as the fourth President of Sierra Leone from 17 September 2007 to 4 April 2018. Born and raised in Makeni in northern Sierra Leone, Koroma spent more than 24 y ...
and Vice President
Samuel Sam-Sumana Alhaji Samuel Sidique Sam-Sumana (born April 7, 1962) is a Sierra Leonean politician who was the Vice President of Sierra Leone from September 17, 2007, to March 17, 2015. Sam-Sumana stood as the vice-presidential candidate of the All People's ...
and the Liberian Minister for Mines. In May 2012, Avidar was elected president of the Israel-Africa Chamber of Commerce. The Israel-Africa Chamber of Commerce was established in June 1996 to provide Israeli companies interested in doing business in Africa with pertinent economic knowledge on the continent, allowing them to easily and successfully operate in a cultural, intellectual, and political arena which is different from their own. In June 2014, Avidar was elected for the second term, unanimously. In May 2015, Eli Avidar, Managing Director of the Israel Diamond Institute, was elected VP of Cibjo, the World Jewellery Confederation. Avidar was also elected as a member of the Board of Directors, a member of the Executive Committee, and a member of the President's Council of Cibjo. In January 2016, Avidar was appointed Managing Director of the Israel Diamond Exchange, concurrent with his role as Managing Director of IDI. In June 2016, Avidar completed his role as President of the Israel-Africa Chamber of Commerce, received the Medal of Honor of the Chamber, and was awarded the title "Honorary President". Between June 2018 to January 2019, Eli Avidar was the President of the Israeli fintech start-up called Dindex Ltd., aiming to create the first financial market for diamonds. The company has a daughter company called Carats.io, registered in the UK.


Public activities

In 2008, Avidar founded – and is the chairman of – "The Smart Middle East Forum". The objectives of the forum are to encourage new and different policy initiatives and present the leaders and citizens of Israel with alternatives, which will reflect the necessity of creativity and the understanding of the cultural elements of this part of the world. The basic principles of strategic dialogue of the Forum are: * Israel must strive towards peaceful relationships with countries in its region, and, whenever this is impossible, keep the lines of communication open. * In those countries which do not recognize Israel's right to exist, dialogue should be held with moderate groups. * Israel's policy in the
Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...
must be supported by an understanding of the motivation of the regional attitudes and the ability to recognize the cultural differences between the players in the local arena. * People and leaders in the Middle East do not function on absolute values – "both" are natural phenomena. * The concept of time in the Middle East can vary – temporary achievements do not negate long-term objectives. * The processes of the development of ideas, concepts, and dialogue in the Middle East are basically evolutionary: While creativity and reconstruction are accepted with a positive attitude in western culture, in the Middle East, they are regarded as dishonorable and an erosion of heritage. This development must be evolutionary, not revolutionary. * Initiative and proactive policy are crucial factors in the Middle East. Complacency and the absence of long-term planning are regarded in the Middle East as an irrevocable weakness. In 2010, Avidar became Chairman of the Leadership Empowerment Society.


Political career

Avidar was elected to the Knesset in the April 2019 elections. He was vocal in his opposition to
Netanyahu Benjamin Netanyahu (born 21 October 1949) is an Israeli politician who has served as the prime minister of Israel since 2022, having previously held the office from 1996 to 1999 and from 2009 to 2021. Netanyahu is the longest-serving prime min ...
. Upon the indictment of Netanyahu, Avidar stated that Netanyahu should face trial and attended anti-Netanyahu protests. Throughout the COVID pandemic, Avidar fought against virus-related regulations, including the tracking of citizens and vaccine mandates. In June 2021, Avidar rejected an offer from
Avigdor Lieberman Avigdor Lieberman (, ; born 5 June 1958) is a Soviet-born Israeli politician who served as Ministry of Finance (Israel), Minister of Finance between 2021 and 2022, having previously served twice as Deputy Prime Minister of Israel from 2006 to ...
to serve as minister in the Finance Ministry. He then declared his independence from the party. In August 2021, negotiations ensued between Avidar and
Naftali Bennett Naftali Bennett (, ; born 25 March 1972) is an Israeli politician and businessman who served as the prime minister of Israel from 13 June 2021 to 30 June 2022, and as the alternate prime minister from 1 July to 8 November 2022. Bennett was t ...
, leading to his appointment as strategic planning minister. He was also slated for appointment to intelligence minister upon the expected departure of
Elazar Stern Elazar Stern (; born August 25, 1956) is an Israeli politician and military general. He was a major general (res.) in the Israel Defense Forces, serving as Head of the Manpower Directorate, commander of the IDF Officers Training School, and Chie ...
from the position. Upon Avidar's appointment as minister, he resigned from the Knesset under the Norwegian Law. However, Stern's expected resignation from the post of intelligence minister never came, as he withdrew his candidacy for chairman of the
Jewish Agency The Jewish Agency for Israel (), formerly known as the Jewish Agency for Palestine, is the largest Jewish non-profit organization in the world. It was established in 1929 as the operative branch of the World Zionist Organization (WZO). As an ...
, blocking Avidar's proposed appointment to the position. In February 2022, Avidar resigned his ministerial post, thereby returning to the Knesset and becoming the first minister to quit Bennett's government, citing ideological concerns. He expressed regret for not having resigned earlier when he had not been appointed intelligence minister. In May, he professed his continuing loyalty to Bennett's coalition. In August 2022, he parted ways with Yisrael Beiteinu and resigned as a member of the Knesset.


Israel Hofsheet

Avidar then formed the Israel Hofsheet (Hebrew: ישראל חופשית דמוקרטית, English: Free Democratic Israel) list for the November 2022 election. In announcing the formation of Israel Hofsheet, Avidar has emphasized its
libertarian Libertarianism (from ; or from ) is a political philosophy that holds freedom, personal sovereignty, and liberty as primary values. Many libertarians believe that the concept of freedom is in accord with the Non-Aggression Principle, according ...
principles and pursuit of legislation aimed at preventing a candidate under indictment from holding the position of prime minister. This proposed legislation would have the effect of barring Netanyahu from the post of prime minister. The name of the party is currently under question, as an existing nonprofit organization in Israel, the Free Israel Movement, has held a similar name since 2009. They have stated that if Avidar attempts to go through with using the name, they will take legal action to prevent it. Prior to the November 2022 election, Avidar attempted to form coalitions with other parties, including Tzeirim Boarim, founded by
TikTok TikTok, known in mainland China and Hong Kong as Douyin (), is a social media and Short-form content, short-form online video platform owned by Chinese Internet company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which may range in duration f ...
personality Hadar Muchtar, who rejected the alliance. Avidar also reached out to
United Arab List The United Arab List (, ''HaReshima HaAravit HaMe'uhedet''; , ''al-Qā'ima al-'Arabiyya al-Muwaḥḥada''), commonly known by its Hebrew acronym Ra'am (, ), is an Islamist and conservative political party in Israel and the political wing of ...
, also known as Ra'am, headed by
Mansour Abbas Mansour Abbas (; ; born 22 April 1974) is an Israeli Arab politician. He is currently the leader of the United Arab List and represents the party in the Knesset. He was appointed as the chair of Special Committee on Arab Society Affairs in the K ...
.


Books

Avidar has written two books in Hebrew. The first one was a non-fiction called Hatehom (התהום: מה באמת מפריד בינינו לבין העולם הערבי), translated to English as '' The Abyss: Bridging the Divide between Israel and the Arab World'' (2015). Avidar relies on his personal experiences working for Israel's Foreign Ministry to analyze diplomatic failures between Israel and Arab states within the last six decades. Specifically, ''The Abyss'' analyzes the lack of Israeli understanding of cultural divides and calls for increased patience from Israeli and American diplomats. The second book, ''Ictus'' (איקטוס) was published in Hebrew, in 2015. It is a historical novel about the Roman Empire in 200 AD. The novel focuses on the relationship between a Jewish slave, Yoir, and his Roman master, Yarenis.


Personal life

Avidar is married to Ornit and has three children.


References


External links


"Smart Middle East Forum" – Eli Avidar, Chairman

Article by Eli Avidar "Death of the Iranian ‘fig leaf’ in Lebanon "

Article by Eli Avidar "As black gold gets cheaper"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Avidar, Eli Diplomats for Israel Living people 1964 births Tel Aviv University alumni Hebrew University of Jerusalem alumni Israeli people of Greek-Jewish descent Israeli people of Egyptian-Jewish descent Politicians from Alexandria Egyptian emigrants to Israel Members of the 21st Knesset (2019) Members of the 22nd Knesset (2019–2020) Members of the 23rd Knesset (2020–2021) Members of the 24th Knesset (2021–2022) Consuls-general for Israel in Hong Kong Israeli Sephardi Jews Government ministers of Israel Ministers without Portfolio of Israel