You are making a wrong assumption. You are assuming that “Holy Land” = Israel.

In truth, “Holy Land” came into in existence when there was a Palestine but NO Israel.

Even in our version of the OT, “Israel” refers only to an area bordering modern Syria; it corresponded to a region of ancient Syria that Assyrian and Egyptian texts more accurately call “Yisrau.”

“Holy Land” means everywhere that Jesus and his twelve Disciples walked. They never walked in Israel.

There wasn’t one. Jesus and the Twelve walked south from Galilee OF THE GENTILES, through part of Decapolis, into Palestine through Samaria to Judea, where they preached the Gospel to the pagan Jews. They also preached in the autonomous and Gentile region of Decapolis, which was larger than Palestine and Galilee combined; it lies mostly in what is now Jordan.

“Holy Land” is an honorific showing respect to Jesus, whose Gospel ended Judaism in classical Palestine. Jesus cleansed the temple, and he cleansed the land; he made it whole, as in “holy.”

The Holy Land is not Israel. It did not exist until 1948.

Without Jesus, there would be nothing to call a “Holy Land.”

“I think we should pay more attention to what he said and less attention to where he walked.”

Of course you’re right, Bob.