Egyptian embassy in France, Paris. Photo: Pymouss.

Atef Salem, who is slated to officially become Egypt’s next ambassador to Israel under President Mohammed Morsi’s administration, arrived in Israel on Sunday. Salem is expected to submit his letters of credence to Israeli President Shimon Peres within the next month and a half, Israel Hayom reported.

Officials at the Israeli Foreign Ministry were pleased with the appointment, which comes at a tense time for the two neighboring countries, as Jerusalem watches to see how the recently elected Morsi will choose to approach Israel.

So far, despite avoiding a clear reference to Israel, it appears Morsi has displayed a tendency toward peace and diplomacy. He criticized Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s “oppressive regime” during last week’s Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit in Tehran and has also sent reassuring messages to Israel by saying that Egypt will continue to act with “full respect to international treaties.”