Allison Weir: Israeli Assassinations and American Presidents

On January 13, the Atlanta Jewish Times featured a column by its owner-publisher suggesting that Israel might someday need to "order a hit" on the president of the United States. In the column, publisher Andrew Adler describes a scenario in which Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu would need to "give the go-ahead for US based Mossad agents to take out a president deemed unfriendly to Israel." The purpose? So that the vice president could then take office and dictate US policies that would help the Jewish state "obliterate its enemies." Adler wrote that it is highly likely that the idea "has been discussed in Israel's most inner circles." Numerous Jewish leaders quickly condemned Adler, who has now apologized for the column, resigned, and put the newspaper up for sale. An Israeli columnist noted that the hatred being stirred up against Obama is similar to conditions in Israel that led to the murder of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin by a Jewish extremist. Many of those criticizing Adler claim that he defamed Israel by suggesting that it would never do such a thing. Abe Foxman, head of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), proclaimed: "There is absolutely no excuse, no justification, no rationalization for this kind of rhetoric. It doesn't even belong in fiction." In reality, however, Adler's expectation that Israel's inner circles explored such a course of action, and would be willing to undertake it, may be entirely accurate. The fact is that Israel has killed and plotted to assassinate people throughout the world, a number have been Americans. One alleged was chillingly similar to Adler's suggestion.