Israel’s governing Likud Party approved the idea of teaming up with an ultra-nationalist partner on Monday, forming a hawkish bloc that is poised to win parliamentary elections in January.

The move to unite Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud Party with Yisrael Beitenu—led by Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman—passed by a significant majority at the central convention of the Likud Party.

“I believe that at this time it is crucial that the national camp join forces, and that is the reason why I asked Avigdor Lieberman to run on a joint list with us—with the Likud,” Netanyahu said.

Lieberman later delivered a statement welcoming the vote, and labeling it an “important and historic step that will strengthen Israel.”

The prospect of a hawkish bloc winning Israel’s parliamentary elections is significant because Bible prophecy says that, in the very near future, half of Jerusalem will fall violently (Zechariah 14:2). Much of the world says adamantly that the Jews should peacefully surrender East Jerusalem to the Palestinians, including many prominent voices in the U.S., the United Nations, Europe, the Palestinian Authority and even in the Jewish communities.

But the implication of Bible prophecy is that Israel will not surrender the city peacefully. The hawkish coalition now forming is a force that would be unlikely to give East Jerusalem away without a fight. Instead, it will be likely to promote the continued building of Jewish settlements in that part of the city, infuriating Palestinians in the process. This resulting fury would exacerbate the already tense situation, and thereby hasten the fulfillment of this violent wresting of East Jerusalem from Jewish control.

Those in favor of a peaceful surrender of East Jerusalem are unhappy with Israel’s rightward shift. For example, Ferry de Kerckhove, a fellow of the Canadian Defense and Foreign Affairs Institute, wrote an article calling the emerging Likud-Beiteinu bloc an “unholy alliance,” and saying “Netanyahu’s swerve to the right could push peace process off the cliff.”

Back in 2006, Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry pointed out why these kinds of developments in Israeli politics are noteworthy: “When half of Jerusalem falls, it starts a chain reaction of events—an avalanche of crises—that leads directly to Christ’s Second Coming!”

This is why we must not take our eyes off Jerusalem. To understand more, read Jerusalem in Prophecy.