The Jews always wanted ISis-RA-EL because of its strategic location -- poised at the CROSSROADS of Asia and Africa. It was/is the PERFECT venue for TRADE, i.e. TRAFFICKING -

" the land of Israel provides the best navigable land bridge between the continents of Asia and Africa. It sits at the juncture of the two great river civilizations of Mesopotamia and Egypt, the land between the crossroads of the ancient world. Whoever controlled the land of Israel controlled international travel, communication, and commerce . Israel has never lived in isolation. It was a highly coveted piece of real estate in the ancient world. By virtue of its location, Israel's flora, fauna, and wildlife blend together the species and habitats of Africa and Asia. In a similar manner, the cultures of the major civilizations of the ancient world blended in the land of Israel.

So why this land? If you owned a business and wanted to let others know about it, where would you locate your advertisement? You would place it at the crossroads where the most people would see it.

http://penews.org/features/living-at-the-crossroads