I'm sorry, the old Taylor stan account can't come to the phone right now.

Why?

Oh, 'cause she's been imprisoned for conscientious objection.

The woman behind popular account @LegitTayUpdates surprised followers in February when she announced a hiatus from Twitter due to a minor complication: time behind bars for reportedly refusing to enlist in Israel's mandatory military service. The woman running the account claims to be a 19-year-old living in south Israel. She requested ELLE.com use only her first initial "N." in this piece, citing safety reasons. We could not independently verify her story.

"The worst thing about prison was all the time spent doing nothing and getting counted," N. tells ELLE.com. "It was repetitive and incredibly annoying.... The Taylor song that helped through prison was probably 'New Romantics.' It's just so positive and bright, I couldn't help but feel a little better thinking of it. Unfortunately I couldn't play music, but it was definitely playing in my head."

After a two-month sentence, N. returned to Twitter on Tuesday. "As many of you know, I haven't been very active in the past couple of months because I was in prison :/," she wrote. "I'm back now though :) more Taylor Swift updates coming soon!"

When a follower questioned why Israeli-born N. had been imprisoned, she oh-so-casually dropped the bombshell: She supports Palestinian freedom and reportedly refused to comply with Israel's mandatory military service, subsequently resulting in prison time. She even lmao'd about it.

"I refused to join the IDF lmao," N. explained.



IDF stands for Israel Defense Forces. According to The New York Times, in Israel most 18-year-olds are drafted for "compulsory service," and perform "reserve duty for decades after." The military’s code of ethics state that the army’s mission is to protect Israel, while being “subordinate to the directions of the democratic civilian authorities and the laws of the state.”

Those who refuse to enlist (sometimes as a statement against Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories) are handed prison sentences. Mashable reports that people who dodge the draft are imprisoned for various lengths of time and "those who claim to be conscientious objectors must defend their principles in front of a panel of military officers."

There are exemptions, of course, but N. tweeted that she didn't get a waiver, because "I wasn't a true pacifist (I told them I'd punch a Nazi). Israel is already under terrible leadership & I want Palestine to get the help it needs to establish itself as a strong democracy."

Since being released, N. says everything has "exploded." People have reached out with job offers, money, tours in other countries—even marriage.

Her parents, who she describes as "both hardcore Zionists," are less understanding.

"We've tried speaking about the conflict, but I think it's more difficult for older people to easily accept ideas that challenge their own life experience and perception," she says. "They still love me and I'm sure they'll love me... but we can't talk about politics at home. It makes things uncomfortable for me and created a bit of distance between us. But I do see them trying. They're honestly trying to see my side of things, and they even agreed to sponsor my participation in several Jewish-Palestinian programs where we talk about the conflict. So not all is lost!"

Despite shoddy Internet service, N. was able to update fellow Swifties on all things Taylor from prison. She snuck handwritten notes to a friend, who posted them to both her @LegitTayUpdates account and her personal account.

"I'm still in prison lmao but I asked a visiting friend to post this," she wrote on a sheet of graph paper. "Can y'all ... stop making comments on Taylor's body ... she'll let us know when/if she's pregnant. Calm down."

A friend also posted Na'ama's written account of her prison experience (it's "boring"). Apparently she met another girl and they gabbed pop-culture. Unsurprisingly, Na'ama wrote a lot about Taylor Swift, who she feels "super proud of her for speaking up politically."

"I hope she finds the courage and voice to do it more," N. says. "I feel represented when she speaks about LGBT+ rights and similar topics."

When her tweets went viral on Tuesday, Na'ama called it a "nice surprise" on Twitter.

"Anyway," she wrote, "free Palestine, throw Netanyahu in prison, and donate to the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund, who actually are confirmed to use at least 86% of their donations on the programs and services they deliver!"

Rose Minutaglio Staff Writer Rose is a Staff Writer at ELLE.com covering culture, news, and women's issues.

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