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.

PRIME MINISTER Benjamin Netanyahu attends the 78th Independence Day anniversary ceremony, held at Mount Herzl, last week.

Should Israel's prime ministers disclose their health status? - opinion

TRANSPORTATION MINISTER Miri Regev holds a press conference ahead of Israel’s 78th Independence Day ceremony last week.

A bitter reflection on Independence Day as Israel celebrates its 78th anniversary - opinion

US VICE PRESIDENT JD Vance arrives for a meeting with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad, Pakistan, for talks about Iran, last week.

Do Israelis know what’s going on? - opinion


Israel’s population struggles with depression amid ongoing conflict, crises - opinion

Ongoing war, political tension, and societal strain cause many Israelis to feel growing despair and uncertainty about the future of Israel.

Israeli security and rescue forces at the scene where a missile fired from Lebanon toward Israel caused damage in the northern Israeli city of Kiryat Shmona, March 23, 2026.

Can Netanyahu win the war without a plan? - opinion

There is a growing contradiction between what Netanyahu advocates as the basic premises for success in all the arenas of military confrontation and what he feels he must do to remain in power.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visit at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem, February 26, 2026.

Netanyahu’s press conference: A tactless defense of his trial allegations - opinion

What Netanyahu said at a press conference last Thursday regarding his trial was a faux pas – a tactless act that violates etiquette.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives to the courtroom at the District Court in Tel Aviv, in the trial against him, October 15, 2025

Why is Trump pressuring Herzog to pardon Netanyahu now? - opinion

Trump also accused Herzog of delaying the decision for months, and said the issue had been discussed between the two leaders for nearly a year. 

US President Donald Trump enters the Knesset with Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in October 2025, in Jerusalem.

Trump, Netanyahu, and the Iranian conundrum: Is a partial victory enough? - opinion

Israel’s aim is that Iran’s current regime should be defeated, requiring a popular uprising to take down the Iranian government.

Debris lies at the site of a fatal Iranian missile strike in Israel on Monday. The war with Iran and the assassination of its supreme leader have temporarily pushed the anti-democratic and racist defects and ailments of Israel’s society to second place, the writer says.

Netanyahu's political opposition must present clear policies - opinion

Israel’s opposition unites against Netanyahu, but lacks policies to present a clear alternative government.

Benjamin Netanyahu

What did the Netanyahu-Trump meeting on Iran accomplish? - opinion

The fact that Netanyahu was not accompanied by anyone from the IDF suggests that even if something was said on the matter, it was not operational

A BILLBOARD with a caricature of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is displayed on a building in Tehran.

Zini affair highlights the security and political costs of Gaza smuggling - opinion

Cigarette smuggling into Gaza becomes a national scandal as family ties, security doctrine, and politics collide.

Bezalel Zini, brother of Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) chief David Zini, suspected of smuggling cigarettes into Gaza, February 3, 2026.

Ran Gvili’s return closes a chapter, but not the wound of October 7 - opinion

Ran Gvili's conduct on the last day of his life earned him the title of hero, and his story is one with which most of us can identify.

Israelis pay their respects as the funeral procession of St.-Sgt.-Maj. Ran Gvili, the last hostage from Gaza, makes its way to Gvili's Negev hometown of Meitar on January 28.

Jerusalem daycare tragedy: When ideology blocks oversight, babies pay the price - opinion

Two infants died in an unregulated Jerusalem daycare, exposing failed law enforcement, budget cuts, and deep cultural divides over accountability and prevention.

An Israeli police officer holds a bag containing food items that are suspected to have poisoned dozens of toddlers in Jerusalem. January 19, 2026.