Some people will say anything to get into the newspapers.

This rabbi is living on another planet. The many women violated by Moshe Kazav are proof of his guilt - he is disgusting, chauvinistic and deserves the verdict handed down by the court. All his rights pertaining to the presidency should be abrogated - he has brought shame to our country. His case should not be compared to anyone else !

Naturally we can expect his royal holliness to take side with a serial rapist. Show me your friends and i will tell you who you are !

after so long time. Women should not wait ,even one day, and run to the police or whoever.

Why oh why does Ynet see the justification in printing such nonsense. This man is a absolute fool and his comments are ludicrous, laughable and for sure unproductive.

This rabbi seems intent on seekig publicity even at the cost of making himself look more than marginally stupid.

Who cares what he understands. That's why we have a legal system that doesn't concern itself with explaining a GUILTY verdict.

On the merits of the facts, presented and challenged by the prosecution, on the standard beyond resonable doubt ,the court is correct on the facts and the law to NOT give the accused the benefit of doubt, since there were no findings or elements of evidence or such to acquit the accused,.It is clear as a whole that the honorable court is left with teh cardinal decency to convict him. As for all other evidences brought in by the accused didnot cast any doubt to disprove the case of the prosecution. The court looked for separate independent evidence to corroborate each evidence presented. What was left at the end of the hearing were only evidence that points to the guilt of the Accused...so the court only correctly must convict Katsva. So please STOP THE FROLIC OF MIXING UP THE FACT OF OTHER CASES with this Katsva Case ! What you want RAPIST TO WALK FREE ON THE STREET ? The Court gave katsva the equal oppourtunity to dfend his case, but he failed, even with good legal counsels. Justiice is not blind ! Rabbi Avner- Criminal Courts are nopt like Halakic Courts. dont get confused with Judicial Power and Judicial Decision. I know where you Halakic Judges are going, lets not equate a judicail decision with judicial power witout elaboration and citation of authority.isarel dosent have a written constituition that defines these ! Remember there are policy grounds too. Even the Halakic Court know that ! Religious Zionism not under estimate the right and protection of women- to their life and living as a citizen of the Israel.All are subject to the LAW & ORDER. I follow low crime policy ! benjamin singapore

Shame on him! And he tries to say he is a man of Gd. People wonder why women do not report assaults and rape--it is because of men like him. I worked in the legal system with victims for many years and the attitudes towards them is similar to this disgusting man. This reeks of the dark ages and the tyrants in Iran.

in iran believe me you can only convict someone for rape only if there are 4 male witnesses that seen the actual penetration believe me i am not joking so the rabi has a point from our point of view it is not a rape

Rape is getting redefined & widened to the detriment of women. Katsav seems to have been guilty of extreme harrassment, but why should fear of shunning or a job loss turn a consent into rape. This is not a knife held to the throat. People should have the self respect to quit if the boss is a bully of any kind, sexual or otherwise. How long will it be before fear of no more dating turns consent into rape?

The Rav should stick to the Torah and mind his own business when it ocmes to civil law. Kataz is guilty.

Actually the only irrational ones are you guys, and your nonsense emotional hateful postings. If you actually bothered to read the quotes from the Rabbi himself, in this article, not a word of them is radical. He merely states an opinion based on his conclusions having looked at the evidence (so he claims). Now, how many of you have seen the evidence on the Katsav case? I'm willing to wager none, hence you are no better than the petty mobs who swear Katsav is innocent without even looking at the facts, and you are the other side of the idiot coin. Whether the Rabbis conclusions are correct, is a different story. However, should you all be civilized (apparently not), you would be objective, look at the evidence against Katsav and see if indeed the conviction makes sense, instead of lynch mobbing. Many blacks in America were convicted of rapes, only to later be found they did not do it. There was even a case I learnt once in school of a woman being found dead and raped, and only two people were in the building when it happened, a Jew and a Janitor. The Jew got convicted and a mob went to the prison took the poor fellow out of his cell and hung him from a tree (true story). It was later found that it was the janitor who was guilty. Again, these examples may not be applicable in a 1:1 ratio to the Katsav case, but, consider he is Mizrahi and religious. Consider that the judges in this case were two Ashkenazi women, and one Arab Christian. You mean to tell me out of all the judges in Israel they had to choose those three? Even if everything those judges did was Kosher, you've given strong ammunition for those who would argue Katsav got an unfair trial. If you were all so convinced he is purely guilty for rape, then you would be confident that any judge could do the job, and yes I and many others would feel much more content had he been convicted by three males. Then I'd like to see anyone claim the trial was unfair. Right now however, I do have doubt. By the way, I believe Katsav is guilty of extreme sexual harassment and perhaps a lighter form of "rape", but that he forcibly raped these women as someone like Benny Sela did, is a little questionable. If you're asking what the difference between that is, the component of violence is. Both using ones power of political position to coerce and threaten women into the bed, and forcibly raping a woman are violent, but if you want to say they are equivalent there is something wrong with you. In the former case when one uses power and coercion to get the woman into bed, she does have a choice, although it is extremely difficult and bears considerable consequences if she does not go along with the man. However, in the case of a forcible rape, the woman has ZERO choice. It is a pure and violent act. You are all not so dissimilar from those against Israel who liken killed Palestinian civilians as collateral damage in wars to killed civilians in predetermined intentional attacks. Although both are wrong, to liken the two is intellectual dishonesty. I have no doubt Katsav got what he deserved, but I believe in justice, and this case was not judicious but political. Let me finish this piece off by saying, I am not defending Aviner, Katsav or the lynch mob (you guys). I am saying how all of you are infantile, and the degree of maturity and objective fact finding seems to have been eclipsed by idiotic politicizing from both sides. Bravo for being useful idiots.

KEEP YOUR ASHKENAZI SUPERMACY FOR YOUR SURVIVAL SAKE AND YOU DONT HAVE VESTING AUTHORITY OVER ISRAELI JUDICIARY, YOU MAY TRY YOU MODIFICATION PIECE ELSE WHERE, NOT HERE ! :-)~ ETHOS YOU AND RABBI AVINER LAKE, CUT THAT POLITICAL DONATION TALK ! BEN SINGAPORE

#16 - you obviously are ignorant as to the legal definition of rape in Israel. According to the legal definition rape occurs when the offender does not received the permission/aggreement of the victim. The rape does not have to be violent and the women does not have to fight back.

The judges were in the best position to render a verdict based on the evidence. How arrogant to suggest that a minister or president intimidating a women for sexual gratification is not a serious crime! Rabbi Aviner is entitled to his opinion but ynet didn't have to publish it and I'm not interested in it.

"i have no doubt Katsav got what he deserved ......This case was not judicial but political " You wrote . Contradiction ! If he deserves what he got , then he is found guilty . For an useful idiot : look at a mirror

The critera in finding someone guilty in Halacha may be different then in secular law. I have no idea of what the evidence for and against Katsav was. But to my simple mind there is no way that the charges against could have been proved beyond reasonable doubt. No DNA/Blood/Seman samples etc. It seems to hinge on words. I am not saying he is innnocent, only that I cannot see how the case can be proven. For that reason I am perplexed with the verdict. If there are details that you or anyone else are aware of, I would be happy to hear them

the lack of respect for the courts in israel is appalling! in most places (except israel), contempt of court, especially in public, would mean serious jail time, or worse. if there is no respect for courts and their judgements, society dissolves into lawlessness. it is even more distressing to see rabbis disrespecting the courts, because they should know better. . there is a time and a place for appealing verdicts, and a proper way to review the judiciary. lashon harah is not the way. and they should be especially careful not to be seen as indulging in petty rivalries and turf battles, because it is hard to sling mud without getting oneself dirty.

The lord made not this covenant with our fathers but with us even us who are all of us here alive this day,the lord talked with you face to face in the mount out of the midst of the fire,I stood between the lord and you at that time to shew you the word of the lord for ye were afraid by reason of the fire and went not up into the mount,saying I am the lord thou shalt not have none other gods before me,thou shalt not take the name of the lord in vain,keep the sabbath day to sanctify it as the lord hath commanded thee,honour thy father and thy mother,thou shalt not kill,neither shalt thou commit adultery,neither shalt thou steal,neither shalt thou bear false witness against thy neighbour and it came to pass when ye heard the voice out of the midst of the darkness,for the mountain did burn with fire,that ye came near unto me even all the heads of your tribes and your elders and ye said behold the lord hath shewed us his glory and his greatness and we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire we have seen this day that the lord doth talk with man and he liveth,ye shall walk in all the ways which the lord hath commanded you that ye may live and that it may be well with you and that ye may prolong your days in the land which ye shall possess,deuteronomy.

If there were no witnesses and obviously there weren't any witnesses watching Katzav in action, the verdict is a SHAM! Relying on an employee who was fired from her job can clearly be that it was "arranged and coordinated" as Rabbi Aviner said. The non-Torah judges in Israel have destroyed many innocent people.

During the destruction it was reported that a talmid was blocking the destruction forces from their longed for appointment. R' Aviner was somehow leading the way perhaps ofthe destruction and when the talmid refused to move a kerfufle ensued with the oh so warm and wondrful Rav choking the talmid who had rfused to move at the oh so warm and undrstanding Rav's order to let the destruction proceed. This is the religious Zionist who might as well be a bolshevik who claims the land without the Torah and then, who would think, disclaims it.

law that isn't new I assume, all he left to do is call "etika! etika!".

Another idiot on the law, order,and justice to throw his gantlet in the "melee" of the Katzav affair. Mind you, this Aviner is an expert on the matter.. Sex has been an important part of his life, and the " Supreme rabbinical court " ( I would label them as a" bunch of rabbis ") determined that the then allegations against him were false. Wouldn't you know, they deal in sex as well, as they don't trust the judges, the courts, the Govt's legal system. So they ask for 'divine intervention'. And I was in the false impression that the god of Israel was not too keen on sex !

Wow! for the understatement- good that it's not one of your daughters, sisters or mother , who suffered abuses under this guy! You are blind

The former president is a human being like any one else so since he carried out the crimes that he did he deserves to be punished like any other human being and if that means going to prison then he must serve his sentance. This country is showing the rest of the world that a person no matter who must pay for his or her crimes.

Honestly, who is turning to these men for leadership for protecting their eternal soul. I think Jack and the Beanstock is waiting to borrow your credit card..