Karin Limdal
65 years after the assassination of Folke Bernadotte
Folke Bernadotte’s brave efforts to find a solution to one of the most complex conflicts were to cost him his life. It is exactly 65 years ago to the day that he was ambushed and murdered in Jerusalem by Israeli terrorists. The assassination took place one day before he was due to present a plan for a political solution to the Palestinian question to the UN Security Council.Folke Bernadotte was the first ever UN mediator. Bernadotte’s mediation mission formed the basis for the first UN peace operation, UNTSO (United Nations Supervision Truce Organization). The primary aim of the mission was and is to monitor agreements reached, and act as an intermediary between the parties to avert potential conflicts. Today, UNTSO monitors the truces between Israel, Lebanon and Syria and the peace agreements between Israel, Egypt and Jordan.
Three years prior, during the final years of the Second World War, he led the White Buses mission to rescue thousands of people from Nazi concentration camps in Germany.
Today, the 17 September, the FBA and the Consulate General of Sweden in Jerusalem arrange a ceremony to commemorate Bernadotte and his work to promote human dignity and peace.
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