Background
Atar was born in Afula to parents who had immigrated from Morocco in 1956.
Atar was born in Afula to parents who had immigrated from Morocco in 1956.
During his Israel Defense Forces national service he served in the Golani Brigade. He fought in the 1982 Lebanon War. He continued to serve in the army reserves, becoming a lieutenant colonel.
In 1994 he was elected leader of Gilboa Regional Council.
Although he was next in line to replace Binyamin Ben-Eliezer following his retirement from politics, he gave up his seat for Raleb Majadele. In October 2015, Atar was elected head of the Jewish National Fund.
He will be replaced in the Knesset by Yael Cohen Paran, the head of the Green Movement. Atar is married with three children and lives in Gan Ner.
Prior to the 2015 elections he was placed 15th on the Zionist Union list, an alliance of Labor and Hatnuah.