Israeli Singer Maya Dadon Faces Military Trial for Election Day Photo
Translated & summarized from Ice by baba
Israeli singer Maya Dadon, currently serving in the IDF, is facing a disciplinary hearing after posting a photo on Instagram from a voting booth on election day, appearing to show a ballot marked for the Likud party while wearing her military uniform. The IDF stated that soldiers are forbidden from using their military status or uniform for political expression. This incident follows a previous controversy where a video of Dadon dancing, posted by the IDF, was removed after public backlash.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Singer Maya Dadon will face a military trial for posting an election day photo in uniform.
- The photo appeared to show a ballot marked for the Likud party.
- The IDF stated soldiers cannot use their uniform or status for political expression.
- Dadon previously faced controversy over an IDF-produced video.
- She explained her role as an active artist performing for the military.
Young Israeli singer Maya Dadon, who gained fame at 15 and is considered a major talent in Israeli music, is facing disciplinary action after posting a photo from a voting booth on election day for the 26th Knesset. Dadon, who serves in the IDF's military bands, shared a picture on her Instagram account from the polling station. The image, taken behind the voting curtain, appeared to show a ballot marked with the letters 'MHL,' associated with the Likud party. She captioned the post, "Go out and vote, every vote counts!!"
Shortly after posting, Dadon deleted the original story and uploaded another photo from the same location, this time without the visible ballot. According to Channel 14, this second image was also later removed from her Instagram. The article notes that the presence of the marked ballot does not definitively prove her final vote.
According to an initial report by i24NEWS, the IDF is proceeding with a disciplinary hearing for the singer due to the use of her military uniform alongside a political party's ballot. The military clarified that soldiers are prohibited from using their military status to express political support. A spokesperson for the IDF stated, "The soldier documented is expected to be tried according to regulations. The IDF is a state army and apolitical. It is strictly forbidden to use the IDF, its uniforms, or its symbols for political purposes, including on social media and introducing political content into service frameworks."
IDF regulations issued before the election prohibit soldiers from expressing support for political parties or candidates on social media, including by sharing political posts. The military also emphasized that photography within polling stations is forbidden and that service members must maintain the army's state-oriented character.
This is not the first time Dadon has been involved in controversy related to social media posts during her military service. In January, a video uploaded by the IDF's production department showed her dancing with another soldier, captioned "The most iconic person in the IDF and next to him Maya Dadon." The video was removed following negative reactions. In a subsequent interview with Ynet, Dadon stated she was not responsible for the video's upload, explaining that she is known in the IDF as an active artist who performs for soldiers and at military ceremonies, and that she had developed a 45-minute military show.
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