Benjamin Netanyahu: A Clash of Civilizations Between Forces of Good and Evil is Underway

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated on Monday, July 12, while aboard the American aircraft carrier USS George Herbert Walker Bush in Haifa port, that currently, "a clash of civilizations between the forces of good and evil is underway in the world." According to Israeli media, Netanyahu described the United States as the leader of the camp of good in this "clash of civilizations." He referred to the USS George Bush as a symbol of this aspect, and its docking at the Israeli shore as a "symbol of freedom." The American carrier arrived in Haifa on July 10 as part of "U.S.-Israel security and military cooperation." This is the first time in 17 years that an American military ship has docked in Israel. Netanyahu told the commander and crew of the American ship: "When your grandchildren ask where you were during the clash of civilizations, you will say you were on the front lines, and your grandchildren will be grateful to you, just as Israel is grateful to you now." During his visit to the ship, he praised the "remarkable intelligence cooperation" between his country and the United States. According to Ynet, David Friedman, the U.S. ambassador to Tel Aviv, stated that the arrival of the USS George Walker Bush in Israel and the fact that Netanyahu is the first world leader to visit it demonstrates the strong relations between the U.S. and Israel. Friedman accompanied Netanyahu on this visit, one day before the U.S. Independence Day celebrations. Additionally, Admiral Michelle Howard, commander of the U.S. Naval Forces in Europe, stated at the event that the presence of the ship in Israel shows America's readiness to fulfill its commitments to its friends and allies. According to the Jerusalem Post, Israel Katz, Israel's Minister of Intelligence, who visited the ship on Sunday, deemed its presence on the shores of Israel as "very important" in the fight against Islamic extremism, terrorism, and Iran. Katz added, "Iran is turning its presence in Syria and including a port in the Mediterranean into a reality, and Hezbollah is building its arsenal of precision weapons." Due to its length of 333 meters and the relatively small size of Haifa port, the USS George Bush could not fully dock but stopped near the shore. Haifa port was a docking site for U.S. warships during the 1980s and 1990s, but with the onset of the Second Intifada in 2000, the U.S. base was moved to the Gulf monarchies. The USS George Bush is the most advanced and also the most expensive American aircraft carrier, built in 2009 at a cost of $6.2 billion. The ship has a crew of 5,700, is 20 stories tall from the waterline, and has two nuclear reactors, carrying 80 fighter jets with a 200-meter flight deck. The ship's capabilities also include Seahawk helicopters, Grumman C-2 transport planes, reconnaissance aircraft, and various advanced weaponry. Two weeks ago, while the ship was en route to Israel, an F-18 fighter jet that took off from its deck shot down a Syrian Su-22 fighter jet; this was the first action by an American ship in shooting down a hostile fighter since 1999. The U.S. accused the Syrian Su-22 of bombing near U.S.-backed forces in Syria. According to Israeli media reports, the aircraft from the USS George Herbert Walker Bush daily target ISIS positions in Syria and Iraq, conducting approximately 20 to 25 sorties each day, especially in Raqqa, Syria, and Mosul, Iraq.