She was born Tamar Finkelstein in London, while her parents were emissaries of the
Jewish Agency in England. She returned with them to
Mandatory Palestine in 1923. Her mother was a member of the well-known Feinberg and Belkind families, and a sister of
Avshalom Feinberg. Her father was among the first attorneys in the territory. Upon their return to Palestine, they settled in
Haifa, where Eshel graduated from the
Hebrew Reali School. She went on to study oriental studies at the
University of London. , 1977 While in London, she was active with the
Haganah, and in the 1940s, she headed its immigration office in France. ==Diplomatic and political career==