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(LifeSiteNews) — Israel’s official government X account announced “Pride Land,” a four-day LGBT festival set for June 1–4, 2026, at the Dead Sea—the lowest point on Earth.
Billed as the largest such event ever in the Middle East, the gathering promises “nonstop celebration, community and connection” across a temporary “Pride City” in the Judean Desert, complete with 15 hotels, beach venues, all-day parties, and major performers.
The perhaps ironic tagline of the post from the Israeli governments official X account—“Pride rises at the lowest place on earth”—resonated with some respondents who made reference to the depravity of the event while observing its physical proximity to the general region where cities had been destroyed by God for these exact sins.
The Dead Sea region is biblically linked to Sodom and Gomorrah, cities destroyed by fire from heaven for, among other grave evils, the sin that bears Sodom’s name.
Israel has positioned itself as the Middle East’s most progressive nation on LGBT issues. Homosexual sodomy has been legally sanctioned since 1988, with discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation prohibited with regards to employment (since 1992), goods and services (2000), and the military (open service since 1993).
Same-sex couples are allowed to jointly adopt children, access surrogacy (expanded 2022), and have foreign marriages recognized. However, no civil same-sex marriages can be performed domestically because marriage remains under exclusive religious authority.
Public attitudes are deeply divided: a 2025 Pew survey found 47 percent of Israelis view homosexuality as “morally unacceptable,” with support for same-sex marriage around 36–58 percent, depending on the poll—far higher among secular Jews than among Orthodox Jewish communities or Arab Israelis.
