The story of Folke Bernadotte

The UN's first mediator

By that time, Folke Bernadotte was already internationally known for leading the White Buses expedition during the final stages of the Second World War, when thousands of Scandinavian and Jewish prisoners were rescued from German concentration camps. As Vice President of the Swedish Red Cross, he had built a strong international network and reputation.

His mission as UN Mediator began promisingly. After just two weeks of negotiations, a one-month truce was declared on 11 June 1948.

While devoting much effort to organizing the monitoring of the truce, Bernadotte also became deeply engaged in addressing the plight of Palestinian refugees. The humanitarian measures he initiated laid the foundation for UNRWA, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees.

During the truce, Bernadotte began drafting a proposal for a more lasting settlement to the conflict — a peace plan. According to the plan, the former British Mandate of Palestine would become a union between Jews and Arabs, in which the Jewish part would constitute Israel and the Arab part would form the Kingdom of Transjordan (present-day Jordan).

The proposal provoked anger on both sides and was rejected by Israel as well as by all Arab states except Transjordan. When the truce formally expired on 9 July, hostilities resumed. Following repeated requests, Bernadotte managed to secure the deployment of a number of observers in the field. This became the foundation for UNTSO, the UN Truce Supervision Organization — the first UN peacekeeping mission in the Middle East.

Bernadotte then set out to develop a new proposal for a peaceful resolution to the conflict. However, he never had the chance to present it to the UN General Assembly. On the afternoon of 17 September 1948, while travelling in a convoy of three vehicles in Jerusalem on his way to meetings, his car was stopped by men in camouflage uniforms.

One of the men ran to the car where Folke Bernadotte was seated, inserted a submachine gun through the window, and fired several shots into his chest. In the back seat beside Bernadotte sat French Colonel André Serot, who was also struck by several bullets and killed instantly.

Several members of the Stern Gang, a Jewish underground organization in Israel, were briefly detained, but no one was ever convicted of the murder. In a report to the UN in May 1949, the Israeli government stated that no individuals could be linked to the crime, although evidence pointed towards the Stern Gang.

When the statute of limitations on the murder expired in 1968, several former members of the organization eventually came forward and admitted responsibility for the assassination of Folke Bernadotte.

Folke Bernadotte’s Legacy at FBA

Folke Bernadotte’s peace plan died with its author. Yet his efforts in the Israel–Palestine conflict established him as one of the very first pioneers of international peace mediation. The Folke Bernadotte Academy (FBA) was named in his memory.

FBA’s heraldic arms were designed in consultation with the National Herald of Sweden and symbolize, among other things, the legacy of Folke Bernadotte. The Bernadotte family’s coat of arms includes an arch bridge; in FBA’s arms, the bridge represents building connections between parties in conflict, conflict prevention, and international crisis management.

The globe in the emblem symbolizes the Academy’s role as an institution working in an international environment. The three crowns are a traditional symbol of Sweden, and the larger crown at the top signifies that FBA is a government agency under the authority of the Swedish Government.

Instead of arms

FBA’s motto, “Instead of arms”, is inspired by the book of the same title that Folke Bernadotte wrote shortly before his death.