As I have mentioned in the past ( http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/coffeeroom/topic/zionism-why-the-big-debate ), I don’t think there is any reason to be a zionist or an anti-zionist. That said, it should be obvious that there was no monolithic approach of the great rabbis of yesteryear to the issue of the state of Israel. In this thread Joseph is portraying it as if all the great rabbis were against the idea of a state. So here are a few sources to balance the portrayal:
R’ Menachem Kasher wrote :
?? ????? ????? ????? ??? ?? ??”? ?? ???? ????? ???? ??? ????????? ???? ????? ?”? ??? ????? ?? ????? ?????? ?? ??? ?? ????? ?? ?’ ?????? ??????? ??? ??? ??? ???? ?? ??? ??? ??? ??? ?? ???? ??? ????? ?? ?????? ?? ?????? ????? ???? ??? ??? ???? ?? ?????? ??? ???? ?? ?? ??’ ?????? ???’ ???? ?”? ???? ??????? ???? ??? ??? ????? ????? ??? ?? ???? ???? ????? ????? ???? ???? ??????
???? ?? ???. ?????? ?????? ???? ?? ?? ??’ ?????? ??? ?’ ???? ??”? ???? ???? ?????? ???? ????? ?????? ??? ??? ????? ?? ????? ?????? ?????? ?? ????? ??? ??? ????? ????? ?????? ???? ???? ?? ????? ??? ????? ??? ?? ???? ???? ???? ???
He also writes:
???? ???? ??? ?? ??? ???? ????? ????? ????? ?? ??? ???? ????? ????? ??? ?’ ????? ??????? ???????? ???????? ?????? ?????? ?’ ??????? ???’ ?????? ????? ???? ?? ???? ?”? ?? ?????”? ?????? ?????? ????? ???? ??’ ?? ?????? ???? ????? ?????? ????? ?? ??????? ???????? ??
??????? ?????? [emphasis his]
?? ????? ?? ????? ????? ???? ??? ?”? ???? ?? ????? ?? ??? ??
??? ?????? ??? ??? ????? ???? ??? ???? ??? ????? ??????? ????? ???? ??????? ?????? ?? ?????? ?????? ?? ??????? ???????? ??
??????? ?????? [emphasis his]
???? ?? ?????? ????? ??? ???? ?????? ?? ?? ?????? ????? ??? ???? ???? ???? ????? ?? ????? ?”? ????? ???? ????? ????? ???? ?? ??? ???? ???? ?????? ?”? ?? ???? ???? ???? ????? ??? ????? ?? ?? ??????? ??”? ?????? ??????? “?????? ??????” ???? ?????
This is also brought by R’ Ovadia Yosef in Yabia Omer Orach Chaim 6:41. He refers to it as:
???? ??? ??? ???? ??????? ???? ???? ?? ????? ???? ??????? ?? ???? ????? ????? ??? ?????? ??????
Some of the signatories were:
R’ Tzvi Pesach Frank, R’ Yechezkel Sarna, R’ Zalman Sorotzkin, R’ Yechiel Michel Tikuchansky, R’ Shlomo Yosef Zevin, and R’ Shlomo Zalman Auerbach.
Furthermore, see the position of R’ Yosef Eliyahu Henken as expressed in Shu”t Benei Banim siman 51:
http://hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=20022&st=&pgnum=203
and ma’amar 1, ose 17-19:
http://hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=20022&st=&pgnum=209&hilite=