The text discussion started pleasantly enough. My friend was in Spain (and I was not). The distinctive Moorish architecture was beautiful. He liked the country.
"You just like it because it was ruled by Muslims", I joked (after looking it up because I wasn't sure).
"Actually, I'm surprised that Muslims and Jews get along so well here," him.
"Did Jews and Muslims, and Christians for that matter, get along in pre-Mandate Palestine?" I asked insouciantly, not knowing that either.
"I think they pretty much did until the Arabs nakba'd the Jews."
"The 'stinians (my shorthand for Palestinians) kicked the Jews out? I thought it was the other way around, that half of the Arab population was displaced in the 'catastrophe' (had not committed "nakba" to memory).
"Let me do some reading because I'm not sure." Him.
"Okay, that's fair enough. Me too."
I then looked up "palestinian catastrophe". Read the first few paragraphs of the lengthy Wikipedia entry, copied and pasted and sent to him along with the Wikipedia page.
"I don't think Wikipedia can be 100% trusted on this." Him.
Which was true enough. Wikipedia cannot be 100% trusted. But it's a darn good starting point. I went back to the Wiki entry and checked if there was a warning or whatever, an advisory, sometimes they will put at the top something like "this entry needs verification or sources." There was none.
He then sent me his own quick and dirty research. From "Friends of Israel".
"You caution me not to rely on Wikipedia on this and your counter comes from Friends of Israel?" Me, irritated.
"A British general is a pretty good source, no?" Him.
Wikipedia's entry is supported by 230 footnotes, and a further "Bibliography" of hundreds (I didn't count) subcategorized into "Books", "Book chapters", "Articles", and "Further Reading".
"The truth is somewhere between the two sides". Him.
What "two sides"? I thought but didn't write. I cite Wikipedia, not "Friends of Palestine", he cites "Friends of Israel.
"Wikipedia brushes over the Arab expulsion of Palestinians", he replied, changing the subject from his initial, Arab expulsion of Jews.
I was taken aback by the turn that this convo had taken. My brain was frying with his Orwellian propaganda, my nerves were fraying, my ears were ringing. I was shaken. I couldn't reason with him, my friend of over thirty years, on this subject, on any subject touching however remotely on Israel. I could have read everything in Wiki's bibliography, it wouldn't have mattered.
"Enough for today". Me. I tried to end it. Too much unexpected on a relaxed afternoon that began pleasantly with him on vacation.
He continued sending me stuff.
"I'm not reading!" Me.
"But I am Jewish and am gonna see certain things differently than you. We cannot agree on anything on this topic. It's not something we are able to discuss."
"On an unrelated note trying to follow football on a scroll as you do...it sucks." Him.
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