Alan P. Gross, at The Blogs

May 3, 2026, 10:25 PM

The facts are no longer in dispute. In parts of the West Bank, so-called Israeli ‘civilians’ have carried out acts of arson, violent assault, intimidation, and actual murder against Palestinians in their own communities. These are not rumors or isolated...

Mar 22, 2026, 4:26 PM

Senator Bernie Sanders Gets Israel Wrong

By any measure, the senior US Senator from the State of Vermont, has become one of the most prominent American critics of Israel. Since the Hamas and Hezbollah wars of the past decade, his voice has carried growing weight...

Mar 16, 2026, 7:43 PM

The Politics of Pressure — and the Iran Test

What tools does a leader use to get what he or she wants—no matter how outrageous the demand may sound? In recent years we have heard proposals that once would have been dismissed as fringe fantasy: overtures to authoritarian regimes...

Mar 15, 2026, 1:07 PM

Don’t You Recognize the Head of an Octopus?

I have been learning from the news that many Diaspora Jews in the United States are strongly opposed to the war with Iran. Some of this may stem from the way Washington chose to act, or from the lack...

Mar 11, 2026, 12:19 PM

Just When the World Needs Clarity from Washington, It Gets Chaos

Confidence is the most fragile asset in the global economy. Markets run on it. Alliances depend on it. Deterrence requires it. And right now, the United States—the country that has long supplied much of that confidence to the world—is...

Mar 5, 2026, 9:13 PM

The Iran War: Tactical Success, Strategic Uncertainty

There is good news and there is bad news. The good news is that the United States and Israel, led by President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have taken decisive military action against Iran. For decades, Iran’s regime...

Mar 2, 2026, 10:49 PM

REMINDER: Iran Hasn’t Changed since 1979. Why Do We Pretend It Has?

I was about to have a Golani whiskey with a cigar on my balcony, watching the Mediterranean sky turn gold over Tel Aviv, when Iran reminded me — again — that sunsets in Israel are never just sunsets. For a...

Feb 9, 2026, 10:33 AM

Israel and the Jewish People: A Shared Responsibility In Need of Renewal

For much of modern Jewish history, the relationship between Israel and the Jewish people was understood as self‑evident. Today, that assumption can no longer be taken for granted. The idea that Jews cannot live without Israel—and that Israel cannot...

Jan 28, 2026, 8:25 PM

It’s Another Beautiful Day in Tel Aviv — and a Question for American Jews

I often post messages and photos on Facebook and other social media from my time in Tel Aviv and elsewhere in Israel—moments shared with my wife, family, and friends. Sometimes I reuse the same simple caption: “It’s another beautiful...

Jan 15, 2026, 10:29 PM

United We Stand – Divided We Fail (Again)

The Urgent Need for Opposition Unity in Israel Israel’s opposition faces a moment of truth: unite or lose - again. As the next election approaches, time is running out not only for opposition leaders but for Israeli democracy itself. This...

About Me

Alan P. Gross is a retired management and economic development consultant who worked in over 50 countries on projects designed to improve living conditions. He was wrongfully detained in Cuba for five years before his release in 2014, thanks to efforts from US officials, his wife, lawyer, and Jewish community organizations. Gross advocates for social and Jewish activism. He co-founded Hostage Aid Worldwide along with other former hostages. Gross made Aliyah in 2017.

Contact Me