War, football and propaganda - How a friendly between USA and Israel might be the most important unofficial friendly ever played

#PausaHistoria [THREAD]

In May 1948, Israel proclaimed statehood. A proclamation that would push it in a fierce war with the Arab countries encircling it. The effects of the war last to this day with hostilities across religious lines still visible in the region.

Israeli leader David Ben-Gurion thought that while winning the war was a priority, doing nothing else would not lead to the recognization of the state as a legitimate one in the eyes of the world. As such he believed football to be a great link to bridge that gap.

18 footballers were gathered from the armed forces. Their mission - to go to the USA and fly the Israeli flag. This was done to assert the idea of Israeli independence and also to attract Jewish communities abroad to settle in the new state and help its claim.

And so on 26 September 1948, the national teams of USA and Israel convened on the field in New York to play a friendly. A friendly that was not recognized as an official one by FIFA, but played in front of an overwhelmingly Jewish crowd in Manhattan, New York.

Playing the national anthems is customary before a game between two nations. And so, for the first time ever, the Israeli flag was hoisted and their anthem - Hatikvah (meaning The Hope), was sung by thousands outside their own land.

Despite creating a few good chances, the Israeli team was comfortably beaten 3-1 by the Americans. The rest of the tour was also bad from a sporting point. The Israelis lost all their games in New York and Philadelphia to various clubs.

However, the results were not the most important thing. The mission had been accomplished. News reports in Israel and around the western world heaped praise on the new Jewish state which eventually led to the majority of the world accepting its legitimacy.

The increased influx of Jewish people from the western world and especially the USA was attributed to this tour in large parts. It would go a long way to determine the fate of the country, still in its infancy at that point.

The players were greeted upon their return to city of Haifa as heroes. However, it was not to last long as they immediately rejoined their army units. They would go on to fight against the Arab coalition for 3 more months, before winning the war.

There is a lot more to Israel's existence than a mere football tour. However the importance of this tour cannot be undermined, with Israel driving its brand of nationalism to foreign shores while maintaining sporting integrity.

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