Singer Maya Dadon Disciplined by IDF for Election Day Social Media Post

Israeli singer Maya Dadon, who serves in the IDF as an "active artist" soldier, received a reprimand from a military court on Sunday following a controversy sparked by her social media activity on Election Day. The incident occurred on the day of the 26th Knesset elections when Dadon posted a photo on Instagram from inside a polling station's voting booth, while wearing her IDF uniform. The image clearly showed a ballot paper with the letters "M.H.L.," identifying the Likud party, accompanied by a caption encouraging people to vote. Dadon quickly deleted the original photo and replaced it with another from the same location, this time without the ballot visible. Reports indicate the second photo was also later removed. During the disciplinary hearing, Dadon was reprimanded after claiming she was unaware that soldiers are prohibited from publishing politically affiliated content. The IDF stated that the soldier was tried according to regulations and received disciplinary judgment accordingly, emphasizing that the IDF is a state and apolitical army where using uniforms or symbols for political purposes, including on social media, is strictly forbidden. IDF directives issued before the election prohibited soldiers from expressing support for political parties or candidates on social media, including by sharing political posts, and also forbade photography within polling stations to maintain the army's state character. This is not the first time Dadon's online activity has drawn attention during her military service. In January, a video produced by the IDF's productions department, featuring Dadon dancing with another soldier, was criticized and subsequently removed by the army. Dadon had clarified at the time that she was not responsible for the video's upload and explained her role as an active artist involves performing for soldiers and at official ceremonies with a 45-minute show.