More from the Old City...

And here's a photo of a protest Thursday afternoon just outside the Old City. In an editorial, the Jerusalem Post charged that Muslims are making an issue of the bridge to divert attention from the infighting between Hamas and Fatah, and "are plainly using this nonevent to reignite memories of Ariel Sharon's visit to the Temple Mount in 2000, which was used to catalyze the second intifada.'' The editorial also quotes a spokesperson for Israel's Antiquities Authority as saying, "We invite everyone to come see - We are working under the open sky and have nothing to hide'' re the bridge.

Of course, Sharon's "visit'' was a bit more than provocative than that - he showed up with scores of riot-equipped police. And "everyone'' isn't going to be able to checkout the construction - Israeli police at times have barred Muslim men under 45 from entering Temple Mount or the Noble Sanctuary as it is known to Muslims.