Pod Save America Hosts Call on Democrats to Cut All Israel Military Aid, No Longer Accept AIPAC Funding
Jews, Israelis Targeted in Austria Amid Surge in Antisemitic Incidents; Local Jewish Community Calls for Action
‘All of Our Strength’: Over 1,000 Pro-Israel Activists Gather in DC for Solidarity Conference
‘Devastated’: Wesley LePatner, Killed in Manhattan Mass Shooting, Was a Jewish Communal, Philanthropic Leader
Sen. Angus King Vows to No Longer Vote for Israel Military Aid Until Gaza Conditions Improve
Europe Won’t Pressure Israel to ‘Commit Suicide’ Amid Gaza Backlash, Palestinian State Push, Says Israeli FM
Israel’s National Soccer Coach Attacked in Athens Before Soccer Fans Chant ‘F–K Israel, Free Palestine’ at Match
New York Judge Sentences Neo-Nazi to 5 Years for Livestreaming Bomb Threats Against Jewish Hospitals
US Pressures Lebanon to Issue Cabinet Decision to Disarm Hezbollah Before Talks Continue
UK Plans to Recognize Palestinian State in September Unless Israel Meets Conditions, Starmer Says
U.S. Marine Assaulted by Hamas Supporters in Front of White House Says Israel Has Right to Defend Itself (INTERVIEW)
Error: Contact form not found.
by Patti Munter
Manuel E. Vega, a 29-year-old U.S. Marine Corps veteran, (wearing a Marine cap, in center, was assaulted at a pro-Hamas rally outside the White House for supporting Israel. Photo: Screenshot.
Manuel E. Vega, a 29-year-old U.S. Marine Corps veteran, was assaulted at a pro-Hamas rally outside the White House last week, with video of the attack on Vega going viral on social media.
In an interview with The Algemeiner, Vega said he was standing up for Israel at the protest. He was surrounded by nearly a hundred people, with Hamas supporters punching, kicking and spitting upon him.
With the spread of the video online, Vega wanted to know if it had made its way to the White House, itself. “Has the President seen the video?” Vega asked. “If he has, why hasn’t he condemned the actions of the pro-Palestinian Hamas supporters when they attacked a marine Veteran in front of his home? A Marine Veteran practicing his constitutional right. Freedom of Speech?”
Vega said he heard an announcement for the rally on the radio and decided to go as a counter-protest. He spent the day in Lafayette Park with an American flag in one hand, and an Israeli flag in the other. The pro-Hamas supporters included Holocaust deniers, Islamists, and everything in between, he said.
“Terrorists don’t want peace,” Vega told The Algemeiner. “Israel has a right to exist. Israel has a right to defend itself.”
“Within Israel’s borders are freedom-loving people,” he said. “They love life. Hamas loves death and Hamas will never relinquish power in the Gaza Strip. Never.”
Vega said he joined the Marines in 2001. He was a senior in high school, in San Antonio, Texas, where he learned about the 9/11 terror attacks on the U.S. He enlisted in the Marines two months later.
“My blood was boiling,” Vega said. “I’m a tolerant person — as long as you do not become a threat to my life, to my family, or to my country.”
Vega served three combat tours in Iraq in eight years in the Marine Corps, rising to the rank of Sergeant. An American hero, Vega also received a Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, Combat Action Ribbon, Presidential Unit Citation, Navy Unit Citation and a Good Conduct Medal.
Watch the video of pro-Hamas supporters assaulting Vega in front of the White House.
