I wonder about those who trumpet Daas Torah on this issue, much as Rav Dov Lipmann has wondered. I will try to paraphrase some of his positions for you here. How can you go against the words of the Neviim, Geonim, achronim and recent gedolim?
in Vayikro 26:32 we are told that if bnei yisroel are in golus, eretx yisroel will remain desolate. Rabbeinu Bachya in his peirush on Bereishis 17:8 says that the reversal of that desolation indicates the end of golus. He cites Yechezkel perek 36, Yishayohu perek 51 and Amos perek 9. I would add Yirmiyohu perek 31. All describe the growth of trees and fruits in Israel as an indication of the atchalta degeula and the ikveso demeshicho.
Assuming clear pshat in Novi is not sufficient, the Gemoro in Sanhedrin 98a restates and clarifies this. And meshches Megilla 17b says that first there will be kibutz goluyos, then the flourishing of the fruits of Israel, and then biyas hamoshiach and the binyan bayis shlishi.
Rav Zvi Hirsch Kalischer in Shivat Zion, volume 2, pp. 51-52 quotes Rav Akiva Eiger that if we succeed in growing fruit in Israel then the final geulo is imminent.
Does someone want to argue that the land isn’t flowering and fruitful as never before? Did you know that Israel is the only country in the world that had more trees at the end of the 20th century than it did at the beginning?
Even if one looks at secular Zionists as wicked (and those I hope HKBH has rachamim on), Gemoro Sanhedrin 102b cites HKBH bringing nisim and geulos through some of the wicked kings of Malchus Yisroel. So why not the Zionists as his instruments as well? A lack of bitochon?
And who can ignore the Maharal, who says in Gvuros Hashem perek 18 that the moshiach will establish a new malchus, which will emerge from the first malchus that will precede it. This is so because malchus yisroel hakodosh sprouts from an unsanctified malchus.
More recently, the Tzitz Eliezer says that kibutz goluyos alone is the sign of the atchalto degeulo – 7:49.
Bottom line is that some of you take being mevazeh neviim, geonim, achronim, and gedolim with your assertions very lightly, and in the process you also insult 23000 Jews who gave their lives for am yisroel. Well, you will have to stand before the One who gives din vecheshbon and explain yourself. Good luck with that.