Although the modern football game was born in England, and especially in its privileged schools, it is quickly spreading to all parts of the world. Omer Einav, author of the book Standing in the Gate, tells us that the popular soccer game reached the borders of the Land of Israel back in the days of the Ottoman Empire. With that, there is no doubt that the occupation of the country by the British in 1917 and the introduction of the Mandate regime caused a dramatic turn in the status and place of the game. The British authorities hoped that the game would be a means of bringing hearts together between the communities in the country, away from politics and national conflicts. Their hope was disappointed, and in many days they too did not hesitate to use the game as a tool to promote a policy of the best rules of divide and rule. Jews and Arabs met on the fields and played football, but both sides had great difficulty keeping the sectarian and national differences off the field. Indeed, the attempts to unite the ranks, to establish one multinational football association reflect, as the author describes, the stages of relations between the communities. Omar Einav wrote a fascinating pioneering study about life during the mandate period far from the headquarters of the national movements, and his research adds an important and hitherto hidden layer on the nature of life in Israel in the light of the conflicts. Dr. Omar Einav wrote his doctoral thesis at the School of History at Tel Aviv University. He was a postdoctoral fellow at the Chaim Weizmann Institute for the Study of Zionism and Israel at Tel Aviv University and director of the Mandate Scholars Forum in Israel.
