The Egyptian Presidential Office has rejected Israeli media reports claiming that Mohamed Morsi has sent a letter to his Israeli counterpart, Shimon Peres, describing him as a "great and good friend."

According to Israeli sources, Egypt’s new ambassador to Israel, Atef Salem, delivered Morsi’s letter to the Israeli president at an official ceremony at Peres' residence in al-Quds (Jerusalem) on Wednesday. The letter dated July 19.

The letter, which has been published exclusively by The Times of Israel, has sparked outrage in Egypt. The Muslim Brotherhood leader Gamal Muhammad Heshmat called the letter a "Zionist fabrication" aimed at tarnishing the image of Morsi before his people.


Only the Israeli president's office has confirmed the authenticity of the letter.

Israel and Egypt signed a peace treaty in 1979, and were very close before the revolution which toppled the former pro-Israeli government of the Egyptian dictator, Hosni Mubarak, in February 2011.

Morsi, who took office on June 30, 2012, has pledged to respect Egypt's international treaties, but some parties in his government say he may need to make adjustments to the Israel-Egypt peace agreement.

Tel Aviv, however, insists that it will not accept any changes to the peace treaty.
Press TV