Eli Avidar currently serves as the Minister of Strategic Planning in Israel's thirty-sixth government.

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Born in 1964 in the city of Alexandria, Egypt; the Avidar family immigrated to Israel in 1967, immediately after the Six-Day War.

Avidar enlisted in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), and served in the Nachal Unit. Later He served as a case officer in a special unit, with the rank of Captain and is currently a Major in reserves.

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Avidar later joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs where he served in a number of positions; including as head of the Islamic issue in the Interfaith Brigade, he worked to promote the "Convention for the Sanctification of Life" signed by Islamic religious customs together with Chief Rabbi Eliyahu Bakshi Doron, who condemns suicide terrorism.

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In 1999, Avidar was appointed Political Adviser to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ariel Sharon and after that, was appointed head of the Israeli delegation to the Principality of Qatar (a position equivalent to ambassador), where he served for two years, developing ties that helped Israel maintain relations with Qatar after the outbreak of the Second Intifada.

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He also served as Consul General in Hong Kong, as well as in charge of economic and humanitarian relations with the PA at the Foreign Ministry.

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In 2007, he was appointed CEO of the Israel Diamond Institute, and from 2016 he also served as CEO of the Israel Diamond Exchange, a position he completed in 2018 when he entered politics.

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He wrote the book "The Abyss" which deals with the issue of the gap between the leaders and the Israeli public and the Arab world.

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At the beginning of 2019, he joined the Yisrael Beiteinu party and was appointed head of its political team. He was the first MK to visit Abu Dhabi after the Abraham Accords (November 2020).

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Avidar served as a Member of the Knesset in the 21,22,23 Knesset and after the elections to the 24th Knesset, he was appointed Minister of Strategic Planning.

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He holds a BA from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Middle East and General Studies, and, in 2009, completed his M.A. degree in Middle Eastern Studies at Tel Aviv University.