# Idan Roll

Idan Roll (Hebrew: עִידָן רוֹל; born 27 April 1984) is an Israeli politician, model and lawyer who is currently an independent member of the Knesset. Previously a member of Yesh Atid, Roll also served as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Bennett-Lapid government.

## 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 lobbies, 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 lobbies 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.
Prior to the 2022 elections Roll was placed fourteenth on the Yesh Atid list. He retained his seat, but lost his ministerial position as Yesh Atid returned to opposition. In the new Knesset Roll became a member of the Foreign Affairs and Security Committee and Subcommittee of Foreign Policy and Advocacy, as well as chairing the lobby for Israel-US relations, AI research, combat barrios and boycotts, work-life balance and the LGBTQ+ community. He is also a member of the Jewish People's lobby and heads the Israel-Italy and Israel-San Marino Friendship Group to establish connections between the parliaments.
On 12 January 2025 Roll announced his intention to leave Yesh Atid and form his own parliamentary caucus named "National Majority". Roll formally split from Yesh Atid on 14 January to sit as an independent.

### Publications

On January 2025, Idan Roll published Open the Gates, a book that examines the structural failures of Israel’s political system and the urgent need for change. Roll argues that Israeli democracy, once dynamic and competitive, has become an exclusive club where entrenched political elites block new forces from challenging their grip on power. He highlights how repeated elections since 2019 have failed to bring real change and how, in the name of "stability," Israel has experienced one of its most turbulent and fragile decades.
Written in the wake of the October 7 attacks, the book calls for national renewal, political accountability, and a shift in the way Israel’s political system operates to ensure its future as a strong and resilient democracy. Roll presents a vision for a more open and inclusive political landscape, urging readers to take an active role in shaping the country’s future.

## Personal life

On 5 March 2021 Roll married pop singer Harel Skaat in Provo, Utah, United States.