Jerusalem

Jerusalem (Hebrew: יְרוּשָׁלַיִם (help·info), Yerushaláyim or Yerushalaim; Muslim Arabic: القُدس (help·info), al-Quds ("the Holy"), Christian Arabic اورشليم Ûrshalîm; official Arabic in Israel: اورشليم القدس, Urshalim-al-Quds (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names)) is the capital and largest city[1] of the State of Israel (although there are differing positions about the legal status of the city) with a population of 724,000 (as of May 24, 2006[2]) contained in 123 km². An ancient Middle Eastern city on the watershed between the Mediterranean Sea and the Dead Sea at an elevation of 650-840 metres (about 2000-2500 feet), Jerusalem is located southeast of Tel Aviv, south of Ramallah, west of Jericho and north of Bethlehem.

Jerusalem is the holiest city of Judaism (since the 10th century BCE) and some denominations of Christianity (since the 5th century CE). Jewish law holds that the more important Jewish prayers should be conducted facing the direction of the city, specifically in the direction of the Temple Mount. Jerusalem is generally regarded by Muslims as the location of the third holiest site in Islam, and the city was the original Qibla (direction of prayer) for Muslims prior to Mecca. Jerusalem appears in the Hebrew Bible 669 times while Zion (which usually means Jerusalem, sometimes the Land of Israel) appears 154 times. The New Testament mentions Jerusalem 154 times and Zion 7 times. [3]

A heterogeneous city with a large Jewish majority, Jerusalem represents a wide range of national, religious, and socioeconomic groups. The section called the "Old City" (barely 1 km²) is surrounded by walls and consists of four quarters: Armenian, Christian, Jewish, and Muslim. The "Old City" was named by the American television show Good Morning America and newspaper USA Today as one of the "New Seven Wonders of the World" [4] in 2006. The status of united Jerusalem as Israel's capital is not universally recognised by the international community, and Israel's annexation of East Jerusalem is particularly controversial. East Jerusalem is claimed by Palestinians as the desired capital for a future Palestinian state.

The current Israeli mayor of Jerusalem is Uri Lupolianski, the first Haredi Jew to ever hold this position.

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