The alleged get-refuser whose mother's burial was delayed by Israel's Chief Rabbi David Lau, told Arutz Sheva this morning that he did not retract previous positions and that no one in the Chief Rabbinate had contacted him in recent days.

"Dear Am Yisrael, my name is Yisrael Meir Kin; my mother passed away this week and her body was sent to be buried in Eretz Yisrael," Kin said.

"The Chief Rabbi of Israel, as many of you have heard, his name is Rabbi Lau, publicized lies regarding my case, and therefore he left me no choice but to respond while I'm sitting shiva.

"The Rabbinate, which Rabbi Lau represents, publicized that they withheld burial of my mother for reasons relating to a get and because of that I changed my mind and agreed to give a get immediately. You should all know that this is all fake news."

Kin says no money was deposited as a guarantee for the divorce: "No-one from the Rabbinate, not Rabbi Lau, nor any of his subordinates ever contacted me at any point, and nobody else representing me or my name ever agreed to any conditions such as agreeing to pay money to be left as a collateral until a get is delivered." Kin says in this case, Rabbi Lau had a special interest because Lau is Kin's wife's relative.

"You should know that a get has been waiting for my wife for over ten years at the Beit Din of Shaarei Mishpat in the United States where my wife and I have lived all of our lives."

Rabbi Lau's office reacted to the video by issuing a denial, saying the deceased's family members appealed to the Great Beit Din to allow the deceased's burial after the Chief Dayan upheld the decision of a United States Beit Din to prevent burial until a promise to divorce was forthcoming:

"After the family members signed a prepared document before the Great Beit Din, stating that they would take on the responsibility of complying with the court's instructions - that the refuser would grant the divorce, and after approving the $20,000 bond, the Beit Din approved the burial.

"We regret that the refuser continues his crooked conduct and is now attacking the Beit Din."

The Chief Rabbi's office continued: "The Chief Dayan of the Great Beit Din will continue his uncompromising war on the phenomenon of divorce refusal and will do everything in his power, including the most severe sanctions, to end any case of get-refusal that may develop."