Susan Hattis Rolef

Dr. Susan Hattis Rolef was born in Haifa in 1943 to parents who made Aliya from Chicago in 1932. She received her primary and high-school education at the Reali School in Haifa, the Arts Educational School of ballet and acting at Tring Park, and the College for Arts and Technology in Cambridge, in the UK. She received a BSc in International Relation from the London School of Economics in 1965, and a PhD in International Relations from the Institute for Higher International Studies in Geneva Switzerland in 1970.

Rolef was a lecturer in International Relations at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem in the years 1969-1975. She continued to engage in academic research, and at the same time wrote for various newspapers (including The Jerusalem Post) and magazines in Hebrew and English, in Israel and abroad. From1977 to 1994. She worked with various leading figures in the Israel Labor Party, including the late Yigal Allon. She became a Knesset employee in 1994, where she engaged in research and information, and contacts with foreign parliaments.

Rolef retired from the Knesset in December 2010, and is currently volunteering at the Botanical Garden at Givat Ram in Jerusalem in addition to writing a weekly column in The Jerusalem Post. She is about to publish a book on "The job of being Knesset member in comparative perspective".

Her academic publications include dozens of articles and chapters in books on a wide range of subjects, and a Political Dictionary of the State of Israel. Her PhD thesis, on "The Bi-National Idea in Palestine in Mandatory Times", was published in 1970.

US President Donald Trump attends a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, DC, US, April 10, 2025.

Midnight Hammer: How Trump outsmarted Congress, the media, and Iran in one move - opinion

 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Israel Katz attend a Plenum session of the Knesset, Israel's Parliament, in Jerusalem, June 11, 2025.

Israel strikes Iran: Strategic success or start of an uncertain future? - opinion

Yair Golan, the leader of The Democrats, a left-wing political alliance, in his office in Tel Aviv last year.

Not a traitor: Israel's Right must stop the character assassination of Yair Golan - opinion


Yoav Kisch's new education plans fails to define Israel's democratic values - opinion

Before the current government takes it upon itself to reformulate the identities of our children, perhaps they ought to get their facts straight.

 EDUCATION MINISTER Yoav Kisch visits a classroom on the first day of school, in Jerusalem, last September. Last week, he announced a change of emphasis in the education program at the primary school level regarding Israel’s identities, the writer notes

Netanyahu’s self-serving press conference: a display of deflection and distortion - opinion

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's news conference was self-centered and full of problematic claims.

 PRIME MINISTER Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at a news conference in Jerusalem last Wednesday. It cannot be denied that Netanyahu was coherent and sharp, but a lot of what he said was either inaccurate or incorrect, the writer argues.

Trump's visit to Middle East leaves behind confusion for Israel - opinion

The generous offer of advanced American arms, which Trump made to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was undoubtedly an unpleasant shock to Netanyahu.

 THE GENEROUS offer of advanced American arms, which US President Donald Trump made to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was undoubtedly an unpleasant shock to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the writer maintains.

Israel needs a miracle or a change of heart by Netanyahu - opinion

Very little if anything has been done by Israel over the last year and a half to start preparing an effective alternative to Hamas in Gaza. Netanyahu does not want Mahmoud Abbas' PA involved.

 Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomes PA President Mahmoud Abbas to the Kremlin in Moscow during the 80th anniversary celebrations of the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany, on May 10, 2025

Israel's coalition is broken, but early elections are no cure for leadership paralysis - opinion

THINK ABOUT IT | Neither the government nor the opposition feels comfortable these days; one side will do its utmost to prevent early elections, and the other will try to make them happen.

 Seats are overwhelmingly empty during a meeting of the Knesset plenum earlier this year.

How Donald Trump is changing the world order - opinion

Since Donald Trump assumed the presidency for a second term, the US is no longer committed to the previous world order it had played such a major role in creating and running

 US PRESIDENT Donald Trump in the Oval Office last Friday: Since Trump’s election as president last November for a second term, the US has no longer been committed to the previous world order in which it had played such a major role in creating and running, the writer maintains.

The Netanyahu-Trump meeting: Success or embarrassing failure? - opinion

Netanyahu put a positive spin on his visit, which he described as “very warm and friendly.” 

 US PRESIDENT Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in the Oval Office last week: Israeli officials responsible for trade with the US have no clue how the trade gap with the US can be abolished without damaging Israel’s economic interests, the writer maintains.

Qatargate raises unsettling questions over Netanyahu’s close entourage - opinion

Although no claims have been made that Yonatan Urich or Eli Feldstein caused any security damage to Israel, the irregular nature of their employment and activities raises concerns.

Eli Feldstein has been part of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s inner entourage as a spokesperson for military affairs but has not been on the payroll of the Prime Minister’s Office, says the writer.

Five minutes of truth: What Netanyahu's Knesset speech revealed, concealed - opinion

If all the factual inaccuracies, deliberate lies, and slips of the tongue were deleted from Benjamin Netanyahu’s 30-minute speech, only five minutes would have remained. 

 DEMONSTRATORS RALLY against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government at Habima Square, Tel Aviv, in March 2025.

Is Israel likely to deteriorate into civil war? - opinion

Retired Supreme Court president Aharon Barak fears that Israel is headed toward civil war.

Israelis protest against Benjamin Netanyhahu's government in Jerusalem, March 23, 2025