There will be a conference later this week in which various rabbonim will deal with issues of the upcoming shmitta year, including the issue of the use of the hetter mechira.

I received an invitation to the conference (not because I am special in any way - just because I receive the Rabbanut newsletter), but I am not planning on attending - I figure I probably won't understand most of what they talk about anyway.

The listed speakers are; Chief Rabbi Dovid Lau, Rav Yaakov Ariel, Rav Avraham Yosef, Elchonon Glatt, and Efraim Entman.

I am not sure why, but the fact that Rabbi Lau will be participating has somehow become a newsworthy topic in the Haredi media.

Even if Rabbi Lau was opposed to the use of hetter mechira, which he is not (though he prefers other options over hetter mechira), I would see nothing controversial or even noteworthy in his participating in a conference discussing the issue. There is nothing wrong with him taking part in a discussion on the topic. He can get up and speak and say why he opposes it (theoretically, if he opposed it), or why he prefers other options to it.. his participation on its own is not problematic.

I would accept them making a big deal of the issue if he got up and said that he accepts it as a lechatchila solution, or some other controversial statement. But just his participation? I see nothing controversial about that.

Anyways, even though he was supported by Haredi politicians for the post of Chief Rabbi, at the end of the day he works for the Rabbanut and the State of Israel. His participation in such events is crucial and is part of the responsibilities of somebody in such a position. If he wanted to lock himself away and not be a part of national debates and discussions on such topics, he should not have become Chief Rabbi. I am not sure what the haredi community even expects of him, having supported him - did they think they were appointing a rav of a shtieble or of the local shtetl?

Sources: Bechadrei and Radio Kol Berama