FACTBOX - Jerusalem, city at the heart of conflict

(Reuters) - Jerusalem, where a Palestinian bulldozer driver on Tuesday injured 16 Israelis ahead of a visit by U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, lies at the heart of conflicts in the Middle East.

Here are some key facts about the city:

HISTORY

Situated 760 metres (2,500 feet) up in the hills between the Dead Sea and the Mediterranean, Jerusalem has been settled for 5,000 years. It became the centre of Jewish religion and nationhood. Roman rule saw the Temple destroyed in the year 70 and Jews later forced into exile.

Muslims revere it as the site of Prophet Mohammad's ascension to heaven. For Christians, it saw the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus.

For Muslims, the walled Old City features the golden Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa mosque, Jews pray at the Western Wall, a relic of the Temple, and there are many Christian churches.

Britain took Jerusalem from the Ottoman Turks in World War One and ruled Palestine for the following three decades.

STATUS

Under a plan to partition Palestine into a Jewish and an Arab state, agreed by the United Nations in 1947, Jerusalem and its region were to be a separate entity under U.N. rule, surrounded by Palestinian territory.