Is it reasonable to label State institutions as a "terrorist organizations"? This study is aimed to establish if a political party represented in a national parliament – or even a State or a Government as a whole – can be considered a "terror organization", and therefore proscribed as such. Through the analysis of some cases stories, this research assesses the legitimacy – or the lawfulness – of some political institutions in the Middle East. The essay scrutinizes, inter alia, the case of Hezbollah ("Party of Allah" or "Party of God"), a radical Islamic Shiite organization based in Lebanon, and the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), a Sunni movement based in Gaza, both backed by the Government of Tehran – Iran as a whole is also taken into account. To have a broader framework in the region, this analysis touches also on: Turkey, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Afghanistan under Taliban rule.

The participation in this conference was possible thanks to the funding by the Military Academy Research Center (CINAMIL), Portuguese Army, Ministry of National Defence (MDN), Portugal.

Middle East,Lebanon,Palestine,Hamas,hezbollah,Hizbollah,Iran,Terrorism,terrorist,counter-terrorism,Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades,Hassan Nasrallah,European Union

• Direito - Ciências Sociais
• Ciências Políticas - Ciências Sociais
• História e Arqueologia - Humanidades
• Filosofia, Ética e Religião - Humanidades