A Jordanian parliament member was expelled from his faction this week after it was published he visited Israel during the Jewish State's 65th Independence Day and shook President Shimon Peres' hand.

Muhammad Esa al-Doima is a member of the Al-Wasat Al-Islamiy party, which is considered moderate but still has a clear Islamic agenda. Al-Dumia has denied the allegations, but media outlets in the Hashemite Kingdom reported Monday that his expulsion has been finalized. President Peres ' office did not respond to the report.

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The Al-Wasat Al-Islamiy party explained that al-Doima was expelled because it opposes any kind of normalization with Israel. It issued a statement saying the party member "took part in a ceremony held in the Zionist entity to mark its Independence Day and even shook the hand of the criminal Shimon Peres – a hand that is stained with the blood of Palestinians."

Al-Doima told a Jordanian website he has been visiting Israel regularly since 2003 and that the purpose of his recent trip to the Jewish state was to meet with Palestinian lawmakers and file a petition with an Israeli court asking that it allow residents of east Jerusalem to pray at the Al-Aqsa Mosque without restrictions.

He denied any support for normalization with Israel and stressed he was in favor of "the liberation of Palestine from the sea to the river."

A member of Al-Wasat Al-Islamiy told the local As-Sabeel weekly that Al-Doima had confessed to participating in the event at the President's Residence in Jerusalem, to which he was invited by the Foreign Ministry.

According to the party member, al-Doima is connected to an energy company which operates in Israel and is owned by a Jewish businessman who holds Spanish citizenship.

Parliament members cheered upon hearing of al-Doima's expulsion. "He should be expelled from parliament, not only from his faction," said MP Haned al-Faiz. Another MP, Muhammad al-Qatatsha, said "he should be expelled from the Jordanian nation."

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