1.See Mishna Berura 561:1 that being that in his time we did not have independence the cities of Yehuda were considered desolate even though Jews were living in them.
2. Common sense states that if the Jews were able to make the deset bloom the Land was waiting for its People and we are now in the beginning of the Geula.
3. The Three Shevuot are aggadata and are not paskened in any code. Even if they did have some halachic standing that was obviated by the Goyim violating their end of the bargain (several times) and then giving permission in the San Remo Conference (Rav Meir Simcha, who was an ardent supporter of the JNF, said this explicitly).