The Bin Laden Killing: Extrajudicial Execution and Incarceration in Jewish Law
Do the laws of war and international criminal justice adequately address unusual cases such as terrorists, piracy or rogue states? What is the legal basis for targeted assassination? A contrast between contemporary, secular legal thought and the Torah's judicial system.
Rabbi Shlomo Yaffe is a frequent contributor of articles and media to Chabad.org, is Dean of the Institute of American and Talmudic Law in New York, N.Y., and Rabbi of Congregation B'nai Torah in Springfield. Mass. Rabbi Yaffe has lectured and led seminars throughout North America, as well as in Europe, Asia, Latin America, and Africa.
© Copyright, all rights reserved. The content on this page is provided by our content partner, Chabad.org.
If you enjoyed this article, we encourage you to distribute it further, provided that you comply with Chabad.org's copyright policy.
Executing Bin Laden Killing a man for our own protection during a just war is not murder; it is consistent with our right for self protection against someone who has sworn to murder us.
The United States and the entire Jewish People were engaged in a just war with Bin Laden and Al Qaida who had sworn to kill us.
Killing the leader of one's sworn enemy during a just war is, in my opinion, entirely sound.
I do not rejoice at the death of any man, but I felt great relief at Bin Laden's death, and gratitude to President Obama for succeeding where President Bush had failed.