JERUSALEM: The Epicenter

Ultimately, almost everything we are seeing today in terms of conflict in the Middle East, peace plans, upcoming battles and wars, and even the eventual rise of the antichrist - will all hinge on Jerusalem. As Joel Rosenberg likes to say: "Israel is the epicenter of the world, Jerusalem is the epicenter of Israel and the Temple Mount is the epicenter of Jerusalem".

The prophet Zechariah characterized this fact in Zechariah 12. We've seen those scriptures enough to have them permanently embedded in our minds.

With that as a lead-in, today we see this:

Netanyahu: Jerusalem is a foundation of Israel's unity

Jerusalem is "one of the foundations of Israel's unity," Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said Sunday at a special cabinet meeting at the Tower of David Museum to commemorate Jerusalem Day that will be celebrated Wednesday.

Netanyahu said that he has stressed Jerusalem's centrality recently both in the Knesset and in the US Congress. He said there is an understanding in the US of the importance of Jerusalem to the Jewish people.

"It is important that the whole world knows that the people of Israel and its friends in the world stand together in their loyalty to Jerusalem and our heritage, are determined in our positions, stand up for our security, and extend our hand for a real peace with our neighbors," he said.

Netanyahu isn't kidding around:

The first part of the plan is a NIS 145.5 million investment to strengthen the tourist infrastructure in the city. This will be augmented by a NIS 75 million allocation from the Tourism Ministry to encourage the construction of more hotel rooms in the city.

Another NIS 71.4 million is earmarked to strengthen the city as a center of research and development, with money going to grants for start ups, upgrading R & D laboratories, and grants for bio-tech initiatives.

Another NIS 70.5 million will be allocated for public buildings, student housing, academic projects, and additional measures "to attract productive residents."

'Unification of Jerusalem is a foundation of nation of Israel'

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tells his cabinet that the government is obligated to build in Jerusalem, as it is 'the heart of the nation.'

"The government is obligated to building Jerusalem, as [Jerusalem] is the heart of the nation," Netanyahu said.

The prime minster spoke to the U.S. Congress last week, where he said that Israel is willing to make painful concessions for peace, but Jerusalem will not be divided.

The day after the prime minister's speech in Washington, the speaker of the Knesset and several other government ministers attended a dedication ceremony for the new Jewish settlement of Ma'aleh Zeitim, in East Jerusalem's Ras al-Amud neighborhood.

And this:

Netanyahu Rallies around 'United Jerusalem'

These comments by Netanyahu and the money being allocated to Jerusalem will not go over well with the local terrorist groups and the PA. After all, we know biblically that Jerusalem remains as the "grand prize" in this entire saga of the Middle East.

With the PA essentially giving up on a negotiated settlement and in turn, hoping that a UN vote will give them a separate "contiguous PA state", now they have to watch Israel actually expand in east Jerusalem.

In the past, such actions on the part of Israel have led to violence.

It could happen again over Netanyahu's latest comments. Additionally, this latest project as led by PM Netanyahu confirms Israel's more confident stance. Unlike past negotiations in which Israeli leaders danced around the delicate topics such as the status of Jerusalem and the Temple Mount, Netanyahu is declaring certain concessions will not be made in any peace efforts, and one such concession is Jerusalem.

Now we await the response by the terrorist groups in the region.

This could be interesting.