Israel is set to host what organisers describe as the Middle East’s largest-ever LGBT festival at the Dead Sea in June 2026. Branded “Pride Land”, the event is intended not only as a celebration, but also as a bid to position the Dead Sea as a permanent destination for LGBT tourism, according to its producer and initiator, Aaron Cohen.
The planned festival—promoted on Israel’s official X account—has drawn sharp criticism, particularly from Muslim and conservative Christian communities. Much of the backlash centres on the symbolism of the location. The Dead Sea region is widely associated with the biblical cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, where the people of the Prophet Lot were destroyed. Staging such an event is a deliberate affront to religious memory—what some have characterised as a “mockery of God.”
It is paradoxical that an LGBT festival is taking place in a site linked to divine punishment for similar acts. However, more paradoxical is that the event is hosted by a state that often invokes the same biblical tradition to legitimise its own violent existence.
Beyond its religious and political resonance, Israel’s promotion of the Dead Sea as an LGBT tourism hub is also an economic project. This scheme systematically reframes the region as a marketable asset, whose economic gains are primarily extracted by Israel—at the expense of Palestinians. The festival thus is a reminder of how the area’s economic narrative has been shaped.
The Dead Sea
The Dead Sea is a hypersaline, landlocked lake bordering Jordan and the occupied Palestinian territories. Following the Oslo Accords, much of the area was designated as “Area C”, placing it under full Israeli control. It is renowned as the lowest point on Earth’s surface and for its extreme salinity, around ten times that of the ocean, conditions that prevent most forms of marine life. Thus, it is given names such as “Dead Sea” or “Salt Lake,” as well as equivalents in various languages.
Today, the Dead Sea is a major economic resource. Its shores attract significant tourist traffic, while its waters yield valuable minerals such as potash and bromine. Israeli tourism data indicates that around half of visitors to the country travel to the Dead Sea region. Beyond its beaches, sites like Qumran—an archaeological area near the northwestern shore—draw steady streams of visitors.
Thanks to the Dead Sea, Israel is the sixth-largest producer of potash in the world, while Jordan is the seventh. Both are among the 9 countries in the world that account for 94% of the world’s natural reserves of this critical agricultural resource. Palestinians, however, remain largely excluded from these economic benefits due to the restrictions imposed by Israel.
Minerals and power
The economic significance of the Dead Sea was recognised by the Zionists long before the establishment of Israel. In his book Altneuland (Old New Land), Theodor Herzl, the founder of political Zionism, identified the region as central to the future state’s economic viability. By the early 20th century, the Zionist movement had embraced plans to extract minerals as a national project, supported by geological surveys and foreign expertise.
Local Palestinian communities had long engaged in small-scale salt harvesting along the shores, but industrial exploitation did not begin until British rule. In fact, although the Ottomans commissioned an expedition in the second half of the 19th century, no serious action was taken. Viewing the area as ripe for a “large and profitable industry”, British authorities granted a concession in 1930 to Palestine Potash Limited, led by a Jewish engineer, Moshe Novomeysky. By the Second World War, Dead Sea potash was supplying a substantial share of British Empire demand.
The upheavals of 1948 reshaped control of these resources. The original enterprise was divided, with operations on the Israeli side eventually incorporated into what is now part of Israel’s chemical industry, while Jordan developed its own extraction sector.
Palestinians Shortchanged
Today, mineral extraction remains a cornerstone of the Jordanian economy, generating billions in revenue. Israel’s Dead Sea industries likewise produce significant annual income. For Palestinians, however, the picture is starkly different. Israeli settlements now dot much of the coastline, and Palestinians face severe restrictions across tourism, agriculture and industry.
The sole Palestinian industrial presence—the West Bank Salt Company—operates under tight constraints in a closed military zone, adjacent to an Israeli installation. It shows that access to the Dead Sea’s resources remains deeply unequal.
Against this backdrop, it could be said that the LGBT festival cannot be separated from the wider political and economic context. The commodification of the Dead Sea area is also about control—of land, of resources, and of narrative.
*The views expressed in this content are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of İdrakpost.
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