Americans for Peace Now (APN) welcomes the swearing in of Israel's new government and wishes it success in addressing the challenges that the state of Israel faces.

APN bids farewell to former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and wishes success to incoming Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.

APN's President and CEO Hadar Susskind said: "We are gratified to see Netanyahu's long rule – the longest in Israel's history – ending. Netanyahu caused a lot of damage to the fabric of Israeli society, to Israeli democracy, to the rule of law, and to the cause of peace with the Palestinians. Netanyahu's ouster provides Israel with a valuable opportunity to address its many challenges and to undergo a much-needed process of healing.

"While we realize that this government is not prioritizing the pursuit of a conflict-ending peace accord with the Palestinians, we realize that the healing process this government may usher in has the potential of shifting the public discourse in Israel to focus on the real challenges facing the country today, including the most crucial one: the need to end the occupation and reach peace with the Palestinians.

"We were gratified today to see our allies, members of Israeli progressive parties, swearing in to hold important cabinet positions. We know that our partners at Israel's Peace Now movement will work with progressive members of this government to stimulate change."