Joseph,
1. Medinat Yisrael is the first flowering of our redemption. In Rav Kook’s words, the foundation of Hashem’s throne in this world.
2. Without Medinat Yisrael there would have been mass conversion in the wake of the Holocaust as Xtian missionaries were using it as proof that Hashem abandoned us c”v.
3. The shelosh shevuot are no longer in effect – if they ever were. I have posted about this several times.