Paula Baolan 🍉

I visited and had an amazing time at the dead sea both on the Palestinian and Jordanian side (swipe for some pictures of ridiculously fun times).

There are "jewish" only entrances and beaches on the zionist controled occupied side despite being the West Bank. We had to circle a few times before finding an entrance in which arabs were allowed to enter. I had an internal battle deciding whether or not to visit the dead sea on the Palestinian side because it was under Israeli control and you had to pay a fee to an Israeli ''beach side resort'' to enter. During my whole time in Palestine, I made an intense and conscious effort not to contribute to the zionist economy, even if that meant that I did not eat for 40+ hours before I finally found Arab owned shops in Haifa's Wadi Nisnas neighborhood. Did I want to pay an entrance fee to the occupiers? No I did not. However, conversations with my family, diaspora and local Palestinian friends reinforced my drive. I won't let an occupation stop me from visiting and bathing in the natural waters of my homeland, smearing my skin with its mineral rich earth. I'd go and swim in all of Palestine's seas.

The dead sea is in Palestine. However, it is under Israeli control and its resources are mined, pillaged, sold and profited on by the occupying forces. If you see dead sea products, pay close attention to where they are from, if they come from ''Israel'' or are listed as ''the Holy Land'' the company is likely Israeli and profiting off the occupation. If you want dead sea products and want to make conscious consumer decisions aligned with your values, there are a select few Palestinian owned companies as well as many Jordanian ones you could purchase from.

Here is a list of some well known zionist brands using Dead Sea products to avoid / boycott: Ahava (their biggest brand), More Beauty, Premier Dead Sea, Avani Dead Sea Cosmetics, -417, Canaan Minerals and Herbs