"I don't have photos taken with Arabs," jokes Amir Habshush, a Jew, before flinging his arm around his Muslim friend Abouda Gheth and grinning at the lens.

Internet footage of the Pope visiting the Jewish holy site, the Western Wall, just a couple of hundred metres away, plays on a computer monitor.

But the two young cafe managers are more interested in the business they are losing because of the vast security operation for the pontiff's trip.

Road closures and security checks have meant long walks to work, and left Jerusalem's bustling Old City unusually quiet.

Their two premises sit side by side, close to the deeply controversial lump of rock which is home to both the Temple Mount, Judaism's holiest site, and Haram al-Sharif, Islam's third holiest.

The cafes' proximity is typical of the religious melee that is Jerusalem's walled Old City.

It is not unusual to see Orthodox Jews with curly sidelocks weave through groups of cross-carrying Korean Christians on Jesus's reputed route to crucifixion, even as the Muslim call to prayer rises above the street noise.

But Amir and Abouda's friendship is surprisingly warm amid the uneasy co-existence between the Old City's Christian, Muslim and Jewish quarters.

And the Pope's visit cannot help but touch areas of tension between the world's three major monotheisms.

Amir's staff complain that the Pope's comments on anti-Semitism on Monday did not go far enough.

One of them, Chai, is also angry that many traditional bonfires for the Jewish holiday of Lag ba-Omer were cancelled because of the security operation.

Scepticism

Further into the compound, down a labyrinth of tunnels, bearded Jewish men and women in long skirts press their heads to the ancient stones in prayer.

The dimly lit passages are their only option after the precinct in front of the Western Wall - the last remaining wall of the ancient temple complex - was closed for several hours during the pontiff's visit.

Moshe Ohan, 26, who works at the site, says he is "not happy" about the Pope's trip.

He believes the pontiff wants to "clear his name" in relation to his history as a member - albeit under duress - of the Hitler Youth, and the Catholic Church's history of anti-Semitism in general.

Outside the entrance to the Islamic section of the site, one of its staff, Ala Masri, 30, is at a loose end, unable to enter either to work or pray because of the Pope's private visit.

He has little enthusiasm for Benedict XVI's trip, or his claim to be a "pilgrim of peace".

"There is no peace in Jerusalem, there will never be peace - if the police stop people coming to pray, there will not be peace."

He weaves through the narrow stone passages to show houses in the traditionally Muslim quarter now inhabited by Jewish families. "We don't live well together," he says.

Even among Palestinian and Israeli-Arab Christians there is frustration that the Pope has failed to speak out more directly about the pressures of Israeli occupation, economic difficulties and living as a minority that have led many to emigrate.

"We feel like he's just a tourist. He has done nothing to help the Christians," says juice bar owner Rimon Himo, 54.

A handful of Arab Catholic Scouts are dressed in uniform ahead of the papal mass in the nearby Josaphat valley. One smartly dressed woman says she is "excited" to be heading to the service.

But most of the Christian quarter's shop owners are staying to try to make the most of thin custom, selling souvenirs ranging from vials of holy water to glow-in-the-dark statues of the Virgin Mary.

"Why go to the Mass, just to see a lot of police?", asks one vendor.

Others complain that the Pope has met Noam Shalit, the father of an Israeli soldier captured by Hamas in Gaza, but not visited relatives of any of the thousands of Palestinians held in Israeli jails.

Rami Mraibe, 29, says he heard a Muslim make an offensive comment about Christians that morning - but felt unable to challenge it because he was embarrassed about the frustrations caused by the huge security operation.

Few vendors believe the papal visit will give tourism a boost sufficient to bring back business they say was hit by the fighting in Gaza earlier this year.

But when asked if they believe the Pope can improve interfaith relations and bring peace nearer, several Old City residents simply say "I hope so".

In his cafe close to the Western Wall and Haram al-Sharif, Abouda Gheith says a day's trade may be a price worth paying if the Pope can help bring peace.

"Money is nothing - it can come and go. The Pope said both Israel and the Palestinians should have a state, both should live a peaceful life - both sides had a lot of hurt, and now it is time for a rest. I think he is 100% right."