Jerusalem Gay Pride parade will end at Knesset for 1st time in over a decade

For the first time in over a decade, the annual Jerusalem Pride Parade, scheduled for June, will end in front of the Knesset. 

The annual parade, which has been held in the capital city despite significant opposition from conservative Jewish groups, is being organized by the Jerusalem Open House for Pride and Tolerance, an LGBTQ rights organization in the capital city. 

In contrast to pride parades in Tel Aviv, considered a very accepting city for the LGBTQ community, the Jerusalem march lacks the same carnival atmosphere. 

Due to the significant opposition by religious Jews, who make up a majority of Jerusalem’s population, the parade sees a heavy police presence. This is especially so following the 2015 murder of Shira Banky, a 16-year-old activist, who was attacked by the religious extremist Yishai Schlissel, only three weeks after his release from a 10-year prison sentence for stabbing marchers during the 2005 Jerusalem Pride parade. 

While Orthodox and ultra-Orthodox groups have regularly requested that the parade not be held in Jerusalem, due to the city’s holy character and importance to religious Jews, the Israeli Supreme Court has rejected these petitions, refusing to allow any attempts to stop the parade. 

Meanwhile, the Israeli Foreign Ministry’s social media account posted an announcement of a pride festival to take place at the Dead Sea in June, calling it “the biggest LGBTQ+ festival ever in the Middle East.” 

That post caught the attention of conservative American political commentator Matt Walsh, who responded to the post with the statement, “Absolutely evil and disgusting.” 

Absolutely evil and disgusting https://t.co/T3BJing8Bk

— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) April 22, 2026

While one Israeli account responded to Walsh’s post, implying that the commentator, who has become somewhat critical of Israel over the past few months, was singling Israel out for unique criticism, a perusal of his account finds that he has often spoken out against attempts to normalize or celebrate LGBTQ events, whether in the United States or in other countries. 

Walsh himself responded to the critique, noting, “I criticize gay pride stuff in my own country all the time.” 

I criticize gay pride stuff in my own country all the time. I criticize it in Canada. Australia. The UK. Countless times over the years. You’re fine with that but you don’t want me to ever object to it in Israel. I’m not the one who’s making Israel a special exception. You are. https://t.co/qNsRgx4rGx

— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) April 22, 2026

Some conservative Christian accounts on social media noticed the location of the pride event, which will take place in the Dead Sea area, the setting for the biblical story of Sodom and Gomorrah, which were judged by God for the perversion of traditional Ancient Near Eastern hospitality and an attempt to engage in homosexual relations with the two angelic visitors, described in Genesis 19.