Latest Conversion Controversy III

Yediot Acharanot reports that Tzohar is publishing a statement in support of R. Haim Druckman signed by 80 leading Religious Zionist rabbis, including R. Aharon Lichtenstein, R. Yuval Cherlow, R. Yisrael Rosen, R. She'ar Yashuv Cohen, R. Zalman Melamed and many more (link - Hebrew). The article also reports on speeches at a recent Tozhar meeting and the strong statements made.

R. Lichtenstein reportedly said:
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How much hatred, animosity and demonization comes through in this awful and terrible ruling... The Conversion Authority has God-fearing and scholarly judges who have devoted their energy and their lives to the Torah. One cannot simply push them aside and throw them into the street. On this point we must be firm: We must not come to terms with this kind of approach... Where did we ever hear or see that someone who relies on a minority opinion against the commonly held one is considered a willing heretic? Woe to the ears that hear such a thing and woe to the biased court that has expressed itself in such a way!

(translation based on a comment on R. Daniel Eidensohn's blog, which is closely following this situation: link the translation has been redone)

If any reader has the time to translate the entire article into English and posts it as a comment, I will put the text into this post.

[On a parenthetical note, let me point out that EJF has publicly supported the ruling (link). No surprise, since EJF is run by one of the leading antagonists of R. Natan Slifkin (not the antagonist recently arrested but a different one). My impression is that the organization simply rejects Jews who don't follow their "Da'as Torah".]