The owner and publisher of the Atlanta Jewish Times, Andrew Adler, apologized Friday for an opinion column in which wrote that Israel's options vis-à-vis Iran's nuclear program included the assassination of U.S. President Barack Obama..

Adler devoted his January 13, 2012 column to the disagreement between the U.S. and Israel's regarding the threat that Iran would develop nuclear weapons. Israel has three options, he wrote: One, strike Hizbullah and Hamas; two, strike Iran, and

"Three, give the go-ahead for U.S.-based Mossad agents to take out a president deemed unfriendly to Israel in order for the current vice president to take his place, and forcefully dictate that the United States' policy includes its helping the Jewish state obliterate its enemies.

"Yes, you read "three" correctly. Order a hit on a president in order to preserve Israel's existence. Think about it. If I have thought of this Tom Clancy-type scenario, don't you think that this almost unfathomable idea has been discussed in Israel's most inner circles?

"Another way of putting "three" in perspective goes something like this: How far would you go to save a nation comprised of seven million lives...Jews, Christians and Arabs alike?

"You have got to believe, like I do, that all options are on the table."

Ophir Aviran, the Israeli consul-general in Atlanta, called Adler's ideas "insane" and "immoral."

The president and CEO of the National Jewish Democratic Council, David Harris, called the column "the height of irresponsibility" and "beyond the pale."

The Anti-Defamation League condemned Adler's column as "outrageous." An apology "cannot possibly repair the damage," said the ADL's national director, Abraham Foxman. Adler has indicated he will publish an apology in the next edition of his newspaper.