Idan Roll

Idan Roll
Faction represented in the Knesset
2019	Blue and White
2020–2021	Blue and White
2021	Yesh Atid
2022–	Yesh Atid
Personal details
Born	(1984-04-27) 27 April 1984 Jerusalem, Israel
Spouse	Harel Skaat ​ (m. 2021)​
Occupation	Politician ‧ Lawyer ‧ Model

Idan Roll (Template:Lang-he, born 27 April 1984) is an Israeli politician, model and lawyer who is a member of the Knesset for Yesh Atid. He served as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs under the administration of Yair Lapid.

Biography

Roll was born in Jerusalem and moved to Mevaseret Zion as a child, attending Harel High School. He started his national service in the Israel Defense Forces in 2002, serving in the Israeli Intelligence Corps in a technology unit in central Israel, before completing an officer course and becoming cadet commander. After completing his national service, he began serving in the reserves in the Military Intelligence Directorate.

In 2007 he started studying at Tel Aviv University law school. Whilst at university, he joined StandWithUs, and worked as a model. After graduating, he joined Meitar Liquornik Geva Leshem Tal's commercial department. He also completed a master's degree in public law, and later worked in law firms specialising in high-tech, mergers and acquisitions.

Political career

Having previously been a member of the New Likudniks faction of Likud, Roll joined the Yesh Atid party, and became head of its LGBTQ+ group. He was part of the Yesh Atid list for Tel Aviv-Yafo city council in the 2018 municipal elections.

After the party joined the Blue and White alliance for the April 2019 Knesset elections he was given the thirty-fourth slot on the joint list, and was subsequently elected to the Knesset as the alliance won 35 seats. Although he retained thirty-fourth place on the Blue and White list for the early elections in September 2019, the alliance was reduced to 33 seats, resulting in Roll losing his seat.

Prior to the 2020 Knesset elections he was placed 34th position on the Blue and White list again. Although the list won only 33 seats, Yael German resigned for medical reasons before the swearing-in and Roll entered the Knesset as her replacement. During the Knesset term Roll was a member of the Economy Committee and the Labor, Welfare and Health Committee. He also chaired several caucuses, including those advocating for businesses in the sports and fitness sector, medical and recreational cannabis, online privacy and safety, the LGBTQ+ community and innovation in the hi-tech realm, and was a member of caucuses centered around Jewish heritage, mental health and suicide prevention, sustainable public transportation, economic competition enhancement, and the promotion of higher education. In September 2020 Roll employed Linor Abergel, a transgender woman and chairperson of the TransIsrael organization, the first such employment in the Knesset.

Before the 2021 Knesset he was placed thirteenth on the Yesh Atid list and retained his place in the Knesset as the party won 17 seats. Yesh Atid joined the new government coalition and Roll was appointed Deputy Foreign Minister, the youngest member of the government.

Before the elections for the 2022 elections, Roll was placed 14th. He was elected to the Knesset after his party received 24 mandates and joined the opposition. Roll is currently active on issues from his tenure as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. MK Roll is a member of the Foreign Affairs and Security Committee and Subcommittee of Foreign Policy and Advocacy. MK Roll chairs the caucus for Israel-US relations, AI research, combat barrios and boycotts, work-life balance and the LGBTQ+ community. He is also a Jewish People's caucus member and heads the Israel-Italy and Israel-San Marino Friendship Group to establish connections between the parliaments.

In May 2023, he launched his podcast "Under Control!" where Roll delves into issues affecting Israelis that often go uncovered by the media. Instead of hosting "experts," the podcast features everyday individuals, aiming for a non-partisan perspective and candid discussions.

In June 2023, Roll convened an emergency discussion on antisemitism against Diaspora Jews under the Committee on Immigration, Absorption, and Diaspora Affairs. The discussion addressed the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs' data on antisemitic incidents. A 48% increase in such incidents was recorded globally, with a 22% increase in the first quarter of 2023 compared to the same period in 2022. Roll commented on Israel's experience with hate crimes and the need for services to support the Jewish Diaspora.

During the present term, Roll promoted bill proposals such as the protection of journalists (rejected) and denial of insurance benefits and compensation for individuals convicted of terrorism (passed preliminary reading).

Personal life

On 5 March 2021 Roll married pop singer Harel Skaat in Provo, Utah, United States. They have two children, born via surrogacy in 2018 and in 2021 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA.

External links

• Idan Roll on the Knesset website