Jerusalem tunnel now open, Palestinians still unhappy

TEMPLE MOUNT WATCH:

New Jerusalem tunnel will damage Temple Mount, Palestinians say
Despite Israeli claims to the contrary, parts of tunnel pass just meters from the Western Wall.

By Yair Ettinger and Nir Hasson (Haaretz)

The tunnel leading from the City of David in Silwan to beneath the walls of Jerusalem's Old City, excavated by the Israel Antiquities Authority and announced to media fanfare Sunday, is drawing fire from Palestinians who claim it will damage the Temple Mount.

Parts of the tunnel come within just a few meters of the Western Wall, contrary to Antiquities Authority claims yesterday, but officials stress that the religiously sensitive parts of the tunnel were not dug by the agency. They were dug out many years ago, and were merely reexposed by the project, they say.

Concerns about possible riots in East Jerusalem yesterday over the tunnel turned out to be unfounded, and the public debut of the Second-Temple era passageway went off without a hitch.

[...]

Background here (immediately preceding post).