When David Ben-Gurion was asked what the Jewish people’s claim was to the Land of Israel, he replied that it was the Bible. Ben-Gurion was far from being a religious man. But the early Zionists were deeply connected to the Land of Israel and that inspiration was indeed a religious aspect that they held on to. The stories of the Bible are almost all stories that took place in the Land of Israel. The prophecies took place in the Land of Israel and the wars took place in the Land of Israel.
The bond of the Jewish people to it’s Land goes back, not 3,000 years, but around 4,000 years. It goes back to our forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It goes back to the mothers, Sarah, Rivka, Leah, and Rachel – all of whom lived and are buried in the Land of Israel in some of the holiest locations throughout the Heartland of the Land of Israel. Jerusalem was revealed later than Hebron, Shechem, Beit-El, Beer Sheva, and Beit Lechem.
The story of King David and King Solomon building the Temple took place around 1,000 years later than the story of Abraham. The Jewish people prayed and worshipped in the Temple for more than 800 years. All of this was before the advent of Christianity, and hundreds of years before the advent of Islam.
Anything that brings to life the stories of the Jewish people entering into the Promised Land more than 3,500 years ago is wonderful as it helps bring the stories to life. Tremendous stuff.