Killing sanctioned by religion

In 1994, the police suspected that the killer of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin had received a rabbi's blessing whereby Rabin was declared a rodef, namely an oppressor requiring punishment by death. This followed from arguments that Rabin should be considered and accessory to murder for his peace arrangements with the Palestinians.

In February 1998 Osama Bin Laden used a fatwa, a religious decree, to call for the liberation of Muslim holy places in Saudi Arabia and Israel, as well as the death of Americans and their allies. The decree says, "These crimes and sins committed by the Americans are a clear declaration of war on God, his messenger and Muslims."