Gopstein
GopsteinFlash 90

Today the Supreme Court will hear a Reform Movement petition against the Attorney General and a demand that he clarify why he has not indicted Lehava anti-assimilation organization Chairman Bentzi Gopstein for racism and incitement.

Gopstein announced on Monday that he would boycott the hearing. He explained that following the decision by judges Shoham, Baron, and George Kara disallowing him to submit a video to the court, while the Reform Movement representatives were allowed to submit a series of videos without court objection, he felt the courts held a prejudicial hostile attitude towards him and did not intend to cooperate in proceedings.

"The feeling is that the Supreme Court dances to the Reform Movement's tune and allows them to hold a hearing on a petition that wouldn't have passed the judge-on-duty at the outset," says Gopstein.

This week, the Lehava Chairman spoke with Arutz Sheva about the hearing's very existence, saying that a month ago the Attorney General decided to accede to the Reform demand to indict him for anti-assimilation statements in the media, "But it's not enough for the Reform Movement, because they've only been granted some of their demands. They want him to put me on trial for more things, so they filed the petition."

To this he added: "I'm not part of this game; I'm not going to discuss it at all. Let the Reform and the Attorney General fight over who is more Reform than Reform and who does the Reform Movement's bidding. I'm not in this game. The important things I do in the war against assimilation aren't dependent on the Reform Movement or the Supreme Court of Justice. I'll continue my activity and if for them a war against assimilation is racism then let them put me on trial. I'll have a lot to say in court. I'll ask Mandelblit if he performs Havdalah on Saturday night [thanking the Creator for separating Jews from gentiles], and whether he observes the laws of gentile's cooking [forbidding food cooked solely by gentiles]? Isn't this racism? Would he feel gratified if his daughter married an Arab? I'm sure he's as 'racist' as I am."

As to the Reform Movement's current request, Gopstein notes that while the Attorney General focused his previous decision on certain media statements, the Reform movement has accumulated a bulging file with his stickers, proclamations, and statements, and it is for these they demand the Attorney General file an indictment.

Gopstein and Ben-Gvir
Gopstein and Ben-GvirFlash 90

In his remarks Gopstein noted that unlike him, his attorney Itamar Ben-Gvir does not intend to boycott the hearing, but will appear in order to "expose some of the Reform Movement's lies."

Gopstein was asked about the judicial panel's Christian Arab head, Supreme Court Judge George Kara, and whether his identity might have any impact on the character of the debate. Is it even possible that the judge will feel a need to prove his professionalism and might choose to tilt the hearing in Gopstein's favor? Gopstein is not convinced. "There's no concern that Judge George Kara will lean in my favor; we saw it in Amona and similar cases. He'll come out against. To them there's no problem with trying to look good. Trying to look good only exists among the religious.

"The truth is I don't know how much difference there is between Judge Kara and the rest of the judges, but it's pretty funny that specifically Judge Kara will be the one to decide on the issue of assimilation. But again, I don't know if there is a difference between him and the other judges on the Supreme Court."

מי הם הרפורמים בארץ ומדוע הם נלחמים בארגון להב"ה