Politicsעובדיה עלי

Ovadia Eli

Ovadia Eli is an Israeli former politician and educator who served as a Likud member of the Knesset from 1984 to 1996 and as mayor of Afula.

born 1945Mayor of AfulaLikud member of the KnessetDeputy Minister of DefenseHeading Israeli state-owned companies

Born: 22 May 1945, Khanaqin
Occupation: politician, pedagogue, manager, chief executive officer
Party: Likud
Education: University of Haifa

Ovadia Eli was born in 1945 in Khanaqin

Ovadia Eli was born on 22 May 1945 in Khanaqin, Iraq. He immigrated to Israel in 1950.

He served in the IDF as an artillery officer and reached the rank of major. He studied teaching at the Lifshitz College and earned a degree from the University of Haifa. He worked as a teacher, ran a religious school in Afula from 1968 to 1970, and then supervised schools in the northern district until 1978.

A Herut member, he became mayor of Afula in 1978 and held the post until 1991. He entered the Knesset for Likud in 1984 and later served as Deputy Speaker. As Deputy Minister of Defense from 1991 to 1992, he worked toward founding the Home Front Command, and he chaired the Knesset committee on drug abuse.

He lost his seat in 1996 after being placed low on the Likud list. He then headed Oil Refineries Ltd, Israel Military Industries from 2005 to 2006, and the Israel Airports Authority from 2006. He chaired Oil Refineries again from 2015 to 2021.