Rav Kook, Rav Tzvi Yehuda (Kook) and many other gedolim say that it is the beginning of redemption. In fact, Rabbi Abba says (Sanhedrin 98a), “There is no clearer [sign of the] End [of the exile] than this [verse]: “But you, O mountains of Israel, will give forth your branches and yield your fruit to My people Israel, for they are soon to come”(Yechezkel, 36:8). Rashi comments, “When Eretz Yisrael gives forth its fruit in abundance, the End will be near, and there is no clearer [sign of the] End [of the exile].” Contrast with Mark Twain’s comments in 1867: “A Hopeless, Dreary, Heart-Broken Land” (see “Mark Twain in Palestine” online).
