From reading about it, it seems that the Romans put quite a bit of effort to conquer and maintain Judea. was it really that important? A piece of hills and desert that doesn't seem to have any strategic value? I understand it's the land connection between the VERY important Egypt and the rest of the east, but it seems that most of the transportation of goods from Egypt was naval. So... was the province of Judea important to the Romans or was it just an obscure piece of land in the east? (I'm talking about pre-Christian Rome)
This is speculation, but other than the reasons you stated, I wouldn't say it was any more important to them than any other part of the empire of similar geography/economy/population. I would say the reason they put the effort they did into reconquering and maintaining it as a province would be to show everyone else what happens when you rebel against Roman rule.