Bjorn writes:
Yes, it may have been a mistake of me not to mention my efforts to verify Bard's claim. But I have referred Jayjg to the text of the document in question at UNISPAL. Plus, I have also mentioned that that document (which Bard gets his 472,000 claim from) states that there were "some three hundred thousand Arab refugees."
You haven't seen the document in question, as I've explained many times. You've seen excerpts from another document, which lists 360,000 refugees *requiring aid*, and Bard also cites this document and mentions this figure.
In short, I have tried very hard to explain why I think the way Jayjg wants the source to be written is bad. I have written all this multiple times at the talk page.
And I have tried very hard to explain to you, multiple times on the Talk: page, why your reasoning is incorrect.
But I should have mentioned my e-mail conversation with Bard on the talk page. The reason I hesitated to do so, is that I wanted to give Bard enough time to answer. I didn't want to embarras myself by first saying that Bard is a liar and then have to withdraw that if he shows me his sources. After my 24 hour ban is up I will post it. Personally, I very strongly doubt that he has ever looked at the documents he purports to be citing from. A common technique when you write something that has to fit a particular view is to use second hand sources. Search for "472,000" and "UN Mediator" on Google and you will see what I mean. Hundreds of articles, forum messages and mailing-list postings, all claiming to be citing the UN Mediator. But how many of them have taken a look at the original documents?
Well, Bard cites this:
Progress Report of the United Nations Mediator on Palestine, Submitted to the Secretary-General for Transmission to the Members of the United Nations, General Assembly Official Records: Third Session, Supplement No.11 (A\648), Paris, 1948, p. 47 and Supplement No. 11A (A\689, and A\689\Add.1, p. 5; and "Conclusions From Progress Report of the United Nations Mediator on Palestine," (September 16, 1948), U.N. doc. A/648 (part one, p. 29; part two, p. 23 and part three, p. 11), (September 18, 1948).
That's pretty explicit, whereas your "suspicions" are just that, suspicions, with absolutely no foundation in actual evidence.
I'm prepared to try mediation as the revert wars are not limited to "Estimates of the Palestinain Refugee Fligt of 1948," are present on other pages as well that I and Jayjg has edited. Or rather, that I have edited and Jayjg reverted.
I welcome mediation, formal or informal, as well. Whatever it takes to solve the problem, and especially get the dispute of this mail-list, where it does not belong.
I hope this comment about veiled anti-Semitism is not directed against me. If it is, it is a very strong and offensive insult. Not to mention, entierly baseless.
For what it's worth, I've never seen Bjorn do or say anything anti-Semitic on Wikipedia, and do not suspect him of anti-Semitism. I do, however, consider that his attempts to advocate on behalf of Palestinians, and his creation of the "Palestine-info" userid to do so, have made him lose sight of critical Wikipedia policies, the primary one being NPOV.
Jay.