Religious zealotry is required to setup your new country in a very specific part of the world known for its tumultuous past where there a equally zealous people that want to kill you. A reasonable human being would seek safety and fertile land over a never ending warzone, there were other options. Citing the reason of "my divine book says so" to occupy a very specific geographic region and displace or impose a government over others seems to fit in as well.
I do say that using ancient history as justification for claiming something you have been alien to for centuries is capricious at best, and when it comes to following religious text into violence, then yes that makes you a zealot.
Ah, so now it's not the divine book, it's ancient history.
So, what we're seeing is there is a long litany of reasons for the Jewish people to feel a connection to their historical homeland, hmm? Because you just seem to keep adding reasons they might want to be there and dismissing them as "capricious" or "religious zealotry".
Instead, I'm seeing a list of reasons the Jewish people might desire to live there.
Incidentally, Israel was a sparsely populated area not really all that important
until the Jews returned there. Population of Jerusalem in 1905 (near the beginning of the return to Israel): 32,400
Population in 1932: 62,578. 2/3 of the increase was Jewish people returning to their "divine book's" homeland.
Population in 1944: 157,000 Again, the VAST MAJORITY of the increase (over 2/3) was Jews returning to their "ancient" homeland.
All this was BEFORE the creation of the state of Israel.
You can mock them for their historic, cultural, and religious ties to Israel, Jerusalem, and the Temple mount, but it's pretty clear the Jewish people are connected to their land.
Incidentally, Uganda as an alternate site? Well, it's a good thing they wouldn't be confronted by
murderous Muslim neighbors there. No history of violence and turmoil at all.