> sure daven, bribe, and run away.
I do not know full context, but here is a different take on Chofetz Chaim on the issue at hand:
Haredi Jews approached the Chofetz Chaim, .. to complain about the actions of the secular residents of Eretz Yisrael [who] .. had abandoned Torah learning and mitzvah observance. The Chofetz Chaim answered them.. “And they will dwell upon it securely and build houses and plant vineyards” (Yechezkel 28:26). He thus showed them that when it comes to building up the Land of Israel, the Prophet Yechezkel mentions houses and vineyards, not houses of worship and yeshivot. Obviously, the Chofetz Chaim, the great Torah Scholar, wanted synagogues and yeshivot to be built in Eretz Yisrael, but he understood that the Revival of the Nation of Israel would begin at a more basic and material stage. This stage would provide the foundation for the spiritual awakening which would arrive at a much later time.