Culture is essential to human life. It shapes identity, provides a sense of belonging, and dictates core values, behaviors, and social norms. The Jewish Museum of Porto is increasingly investing in the education of Portugal's future leaders. Among the subjects regularly taught, there have been frequent references to the "Hamas embassy in Lisbon".

The Palestinian diplomatic mission in Lisbon was officially upgraded to the Embassy of the State of Palestine on October 31, 2025. This occurred after the Portuguese government formally recognized the State of Palestine to reaffirm international support for Palestinian statehood, self-determination, and fundamental human rights under international law.

From the very beginning, the Israeli ambassador Oren Rozemblat, noted that on the new Palestinian embassy in Portugal there is a map of the Middle East where the state of Israel does not appear, as if it did not exist.

Since violently ousting the secular Fatah faction in 2007, Hamas has served as the de facto governing authority in the Gaza Strip, controlling institutions, civil services, and security forces. Alongside Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) maintains a vast network of heavily armed fighters and arsenals.

Both groups are sworn to the destruction of Israel and advocate for an Islamic state across historical Palestine, operating on religious ideology rather than the secular framework envisioned by the Palestinian Authority. Both Hamas and PIJ have historically rejected the peace process and the concept of a two-state solution based on pre-1967 borders.

Multiple intelligence and law enforcement reports confirm that Hamas has prepared and attempted to execute terrorist attacks targeting Jewish and Israeli institutions in Europe.European authorities have disrupted a transnational network of weapons caches and active terrorist cells operated by Hamas across the continent, leading to several high-profile arrests and criminal convictions. It was in this scenario that the new Hamas embassy in Lisbon was born.

A "mini-country"

An embassy is almost a "mini-country". Embassies are treated as special, heavily protected enclaves under international law. This distinct legal status is defined by the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. A child born in an embassy does not automatically acquire the citizenship of the representing country, as is the case with actual sovereign territory. The host country's services cannot enter the embassy without the ambassador's explicit permission. Embassy grounds cannot be searched, and local laws regarding arrest and taxation typically do not apply to accredited diplomats inside.

In Palestine, the Basic Law establishes a system and dictates that the principles of Islamic Shari'a are a principal source of legislation. A supposed Palestinian state is—or would become—a state of Hamas and Islamic Jihad pointing to the political and territorial control these groups hold, their significant military capabilities, and their ideological rejection of secular, negotiated solutions with Israel.