Help Getting a GWT error : com.google.gwt.dev.jjs.InternalCompilerException: Unexpected error during visit.

GWT can be painful sometimes

I was getting the following error while using GWT 2.4.0, GWT 2.5.0 and 2.5.1

[gwt:compile]
auto discovered modules [za.co.enerweb.ies.iesmobile]
Compiling module za.co.enerweb.ies.iesmobile
   Validating units:
      Ignored 1 unit with compilation errors in first pass.
Compile with -strict or with -logLevel set to TRACE or DEBUG to see all errors.
   [ERROR] An internal compiler exception occurred
com.google.gwt.dev.jjs.InternalCompilerException: Unexpected error during visit.
 at com.google.gwt.dev.jjs.ast.JVisitor.translateException(JVisitor.java:109)
 at com.google.gwt.dev.jjs.ast.JModVisitor.accept(JModVisitor.java:276)
 at com.google.gwt.dev.jjs.ast.JModVisitor.accept(JModVisitor.java:265)
 at com.google.gwt.dev.jjs.ast.JVisitor.accept(JVisitor.java:116)
 at com.google.gwt.dev.jjs.ast.JCastOperation.traverse(JCastOperation.java:65)
 at com.google.gwt.dev.jjs.ast.JModVisitor.traverse(JModVisitor.java:361)
 at com.google.gwt.dev.jjs.ast.JModVisitor.accept(JModVisitor.java:273)
 at com.google.gwt.dev.jjs.ast.JModVisitor.accept(JModVisitor.java:265)
 at com.google.gwt.dev.jjs.ast.JVisitor.accept(JVisitor.java:116)
 at com.google.gwt.dev.jjs.ast.JDeclarationStatement.traverse(JDeclarationStatement.java:48)
 at com.google.gwt.dev.jjs.ast.JModVisitor$ListContextImmutable.traverse(JModVisitor.java:170)
 at com.google.gwt.dev.jjs.ast.JModVisitor.acceptWithInsertRemoveImmutable(JModVisitor.java:336)
 at com.google.gwt.dev.jjs.ast.JBlock.traverse(JBlock.java:83)
 at com.google.gwt.dev.jjs.ast.JModVisitor.traverse(JModVisitor.java:361)
 at com.google.gwt.dev.jjs.ast.JModVisitor.accept(JModVisitor.java:273)
 at com.google.gwt.dev.jjs.ast.JVisitor.accept(JVisitor.java:137)
 at com.google.gwt.dev.jjs.ast.JVisitor.accept(JVisitor.java:133)
 at com.google.gwt.dev.jjs.ast.JMethodBody.traverse(JMethodBody.java:82)
 at com.google.gwt.dev.jjs.ast.JModVisitor.traverse(JModVisitor.java:361)
 at com.google.gwt.dev.jjs.ast.JModVisitor.accept(JModVisitor.java:273)
 at com.google.gwt.dev.jjs.ast.JModVisitor.accept(JModVisitor.java:265)
 at com.google.gwt.dev.jjs.ast.JMethod.visitChildren(JMethod.java:426)
 at com.google.gwt.dev.jjs.ast.JMethod.traverse(JMethod.java:395)
 at com.google.gwt.dev.jjs.ast.JModVisitor.traverse(JModVisitor.java:361)
 at com.google.gwt.dev.jjs.ast.JModVisitor.accept(JModVisitor.java:273)
 at com.google.gwt.dev.jjs.ast.JModVisitor.accept(JModVisitor.java:265)
 at com.google.gwt.dev.jjs.impl.UnifyAst.mainLoop(UnifyAst.java:902)
 at com.google.gwt.dev.jjs.impl.UnifyAst.exec(UnifyAst.java:627)
 at com.google.gwt.dev.jjs.JavaToJavaScriptCompiler.precompile(JavaToJavaScriptCompiler.java:604)
 at com.google.gwt.dev.jjs.JavaScriptCompiler.precompile(JavaScriptCompiler.java:33)
 at com.google.gwt.dev.Precompile.precompile(Precompile.java:278)
 at com.google.gwt.dev.Precompile.precompile(Precompile.java:229)
 at com.google.gwt.dev.Precompile.precompile(Precompile.java:141)
 at com.google.gwt.dev.Compiler.run(Compiler.java:232)
 at com.google.gwt.dev.Compiler.run(Compiler.java:198)
 at com.google.gwt.dev.Compiler$1.run(Compiler.java:170)
 at com.google.gwt.dev.CompileTaskRunner.doRun(CompileTaskRunner.java:88)
 at com.google.gwt.dev.CompileTaskRunner.runWithAppropriateLogger(CompileTaskRunner.java:82)
 at com.google.gwt.dev.Compiler.main(Compiler.java:177)
Caused by: java.lang.AbstractMethodError: org.apache.xerces.dom.ElementNSImpl.setUserData(Ljava/lang/String;Ljava/lang/Object;Lorg/w3c/dom/UserDataHandler;)Ljava/lang/Object;
 at com.google.gwt.uibinder.rebind.W3cDocumentBuilder.startElement(W3cDocumentBuilder.java:127)
 at org.apache.xerces.parsers.AbstractSAXParser.startElement(Unknown Source)
 at org.apache.xerces.impl.dtd.XMLDTDValidator.startElement(Unknown Source)
 at org.apache.xerces.impl.XMLNSDocumentScannerImpl.scanStartElement(Unknown Source)
 at org.apache.xerces.impl.XMLNSDocumentScannerImpl$NSContentDispatcher.scanRootElementHook(Unknown Source)
 at org.apache.xerces.impl.XMLDocumentFragmentScannerImpl$FragmentContentDispatcher.dispatch(Unknown Source)
 at org.apache.xerces.impl.XMLDocumentFragmentScannerImpl.scanDocument(Unknown Source)
 at org.apache.xerces.parsers.XML11Configuration.parse(Unknown Source)
 at org.apache.xerces.parsers.XML11Configuration.parse(Unknown Source)
 at org.apache.xerces.parsers.XMLParser.parse(Unknown Source)
 at org.apache.xerces.parsers.AbstractSAXParser.parse(Unknown Source)
 at javax.xml.parsers.SAXParser.parse(SAXParser.java:392)
 at com.google.gwt.uibinder.rebind.W3cDomHelper.documentFor(W3cDomHelper.java:74)
 at com.google.gwt.uibinder.rebind.UiBinderGenerator.getW3cDoc(UiBinderGenerator.java:204)
 at com.google.gwt.uibinder.rebind.UiBinderGenerator.generateOnce(UiBinderGenerator.java:174)
 at com.google.gwt.uibinder.rebind.UiBinderGenerator.generate(UiBinderGenerator.java:129)
 at com.google.gwt.core.ext.IncrementalGenerator.generateNonIncrementally(IncrementalGenerator.java:40)
 at com.google.gwt.dev.javac.StandardGeneratorContext.runGeneratorIncrementally(StandardGeneratorContext.java:657)
 at com.google.gwt.dev.cfg.RuleGenerateWith.realize(RuleGenerateWith.java:41)
 at com.google.gwt.dev.shell.StandardRebindOracle$Rebinder.rebind(StandardRebindOracle.java:79)
 at com.google.gwt.dev.shell.StandardRebindOracle.rebind(StandardRebindOracle.java:276)
 at com.google.gwt.dev.shell.StandardRebindOracle.rebind(StandardRebindOracle.java:265)
 at com.google.gwt.dev.DistillerRebindPermutationOracle.getAllPossibleRebindAnswers(DistillerRebindPermutationOracle.java:91)
 at com.google.gwt.dev.jjs.impl.UnifyAst$UnifyVisitor.handleGwtCreate(UnifyAst.java:355)
 at com.google.gwt.dev.jjs.impl.UnifyAst$UnifyVisitor.handleMagicMethodCall(UnifyAst.java:433)
 at com.google.gwt.dev.jjs.impl.UnifyAst$UnifyVisitor.endVisit(UnifyAst.java:237)
 at com.google.gwt.dev.jjs.ast.JMethodCall.traverse(JMethodCall.java:243)
 at com.google.gwt.dev.jjs.ast.JModVisitor.traverse(JModVisitor.java:361)
 at com.google.gwt.dev.jjs.ast.JModVisitor.accept(JModVisitor.java:273)
 ... 37 more
      [ERROR] at MainPage.java(27): GWT.create(MainPage$MainPageUiBinder.class)
         com.google.gwt.dev.jjs.ast.JMethodCall
      [ERROR] at MainPage.java(27): (MainPage$MainPageUiBinder) GWT.create(MainPage$MainPageUiBinder.class)
         com.google.gwt.dev.jjs.ast.JCastOperation
      [ERROR] at MainPage.java(27): static MainPage$MainPageUiBinder uiBinder = (MainPage$MainPageUiBinder) GWT.create(MainPage$MainPageUiBinder.class)
         com.google.gwt.dev.jjs.ast.JDeclarationStatement
      [ERROR] at MainPage.java(23): {
  Page.$clinit();
  static MainPage$MainPageUiBinder uiBinder = (MainPage$MainPageUiBinder) GWT.create(MainPage$MainPageUiBinder.class);
}
         com.google.gwt.dev.jjs.ast.JBlock
      [ERROR] at MainPage.java(23): {
  Page.$clinit();
  static MainPage$MainPageUiBinder uiBinder = (MainPage$MainPageUiBinder) GWT.create(MainPage$MainPageUiBinder.class);
}
         com.google.gwt.dev.jjs.ast.JMethodBody
      [ERROR] at MainPage.java(23): private static final void $clinit();

         com.google.gwt.dev.jjs.ast.JMethod 

The UI Binder Java code

public class MainPage extends Page {

    @UiField
    ListPanel list;
    private static MainPageUiBinder uiBinder = GWT.create(MainPageUiBinder.class);

    interface MainPageUiBinder extends UiBinder {
    }

    public MainPage() {
        initWidget(uiBinder.createAndBindUi(this));

The solution

 There was a very old version old version of xercesImpl 2.6.2 included by Jersey

       
        
            com.sun.jersey.contribs
            jersey-atom-abdera
            1.8
        

So find it and banish it to the place it came from and don't forget to clean package

 
          
            com.sun.jersey.contribs
            jersey-atom-abdera
            1.8
          
            
              xercesImpl
              xerces