Israeli leaders congratulate Egypt's Sissi for his victory

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Shimon Peres both spoke with Abdel Fattah el-Sissi on Friday to congratulate him on his victory in Egyptian presidential elections and to stress the importance of bilateral ties.

The separate phone calls came two days before Sissi's inauguration. Sissi was elected president last month, winning more than 90 percent of the vote.

Neither Netanyahu nor Peres spoke with the previous Egyptian head of state, the Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohammed Morsi, who was toppled from power last year by Sissi following street protests.

"Prime Minister Netanyahu noted to the Egyptian president-elect the strategic importance of ties between the countries and in sustaining the peace accords between them," the Prime Minister's Office said in a statement.

Netanyahu wished the Egyptian people "a stable, prosperous and peaceful future."

Peres' office said that at the end of their conversation, "President Sissi thanked President Peres for his warm words."

Egypt and Israel signed a historic peace treaty in 1979, an accord seen by the West as a cornerstone of regional stability in the Middle East.

Although Morsi never threatened to renounce the treaty, Israeli officials were relieved to see an end to his Muslim Brotherhood rule and say that security along the shared border in the Sinai has improved markedly over the past year.

"Israel is committed to maintain the peace treaty between Israel and Egypt and to strengthening the cooperation between our nations," Peres' office said.

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