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| '''Count Folke Bernadotte of Wisborg''' (] ] - ] ]) or simply Count Bernadotte, was a Swedish diplomat noted for his negotiation of the release of |
'''Count Folke Bernadotte of Wisborg''' (] ] - ] ]) or simply Count Bernadotte, was a Swedish diplomat noted for his negotiation of the release of 15,000 mostly ]n prisoners {{fact}} from the German ]s in ]. He was assassinated by members of the Jewish underground group ] during his service as ] mediator in ]. | ||
| Bernadotte's grandfather was King ], but Bernadotte's father ] left the royal family to pursue a disapproved marriage. Folke Bernadotte was a graduate of the military school of Karlberg and a Swedish cavalry officer in the Royal Horse Guards. He served in the Swedish legation headquarters at Friedrichsruh, Germany, during World War II, where in 1945 he received a German surrender offer from ]. After the war, he was unanimously chosen by the victorious powers to be the ] mediator in the ] of 1947-1948. He was assassinated in ] while pursuing his official duties. | Bernadotte's grandfather was King ], but Bernadotte's father ] left the royal family to pursue a disapproved marriage. Folke Bernadotte was a graduate of the military school of Karlberg and a Swedish cavalry officer in the Royal Horse Guards. He served in the Swedish legation headquarters at Friedrichsruh, Germany, during World War II, where in 1945 he received a German surrender offer from ]. After the war, he was unanimously chosen by the victorious powers to be the ] mediator in the ] of 1947-1948. He was assassinated in ] while pursuing his official duties. | ||
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| Bernadotte, while vice-president of the Swedish ] in ], attempted to negotiate an ] between ] and ]. At the very end of the war he received ]'s offer, from ] of Germany's complete surrender to ] and the ], provided ] was allowed to continue resistance against the ]. The offer was passed on to Prime Minister ] and President ]. | Bernadotte, while vice-president of the Swedish ] in ], attempted to negotiate an ] between ] and ]. At the very end of the war he received ]'s offer, from ] of Germany's complete surrender to ] and the ], provided ] was allowed to continue resistance against the ]. The offer was passed on to Prime Minister ] and President ]. | ||
| Just before the end of ] he gained much good will leading a rescue operation transporting interned ], ] and other West-]s inmates from German Concentration Camps to hospitals in ], of whom some speaking ] from the ]. In the "]" of the Bernadotte-expedition 15,000 persons were liberated, mostly ] but also quite a few ]s. | Just before the end of ] he gained much good will leading a rescue operation transporting interned ], ] and other West-]s inmates from German Concentration Camps to hospitals in ], of whom some speaking ] from the ]. In the "]" of the Bernadotte-expedition 15,000 persons were liberated, mostly ] but also quite a few ]s. However, it's been claimed that Bernadotte refused to rescue Jews, and the Jews that were included were there in spite of his refusal and as a result of pressure from ] and Himmler's doctor ] <ref> The Kersten memoirs, 1940-1945, (1956); Hugh Trevor-Roper, The Last Days of Hitler (1971); Baruch Nadal, Bernadotte's murder (1968); Ofer Regev, Prince Of Jerusalem (2006) pages 138-165, page 184; </ref> | ||
| Bernadotte served on the ] of the ] from ] until ]. | Bernadotte served on the ] of the ] from ] until ]. | ||
| ==UN |
===UN mediator=== | ||
| Following the ], on ] ], Folke Bernadotte was appointed the ]' mediator in ]. This made him the first official mediator in the history of the world organization. In this capacity, he succeeded in achieving a truce in the ] and laid the groundwork for the ]. | Following the ], on ] ], Folke Bernadotte was appointed the ]' mediator in ]. This made him the first official mediator in the history of the world organization. In this capacity, he succeeded in achieving a truce in the ] and laid the groundwork for the ]. | ||
| ===First proposal=== | |||
| At the end of June, 1948, Bernadotte submitted his first formal proposal in secret to the various parties. It suggested that Palestine and Transjordan be reformed as "a Union, comprising two Members, one Arab and one Jewish". As far as the boundaries of the two Members were concerned, Bernadotte thought that the following "might be worthy of consideration".<ref>F. Bernadotte, ''To Jerusalem'', Hodder & Stoughton, 1951, pp129-131.</ref> | |||
| # Inclusion of the whole or part of the Negev in Arab territory. | |||
| # Inclusion of the whole or part of Western Galilee in the Jewish territory. | |||
| # Inclusion of the City of Jerusalem in Arab territory, with municipal autonomy for the Jewish community and special arrangements for the protection of the Holy Places. | |||
| # Consideration of the status of Jaffa. | |||
| # Establishment of a free port at Haifa, the area of the free port to include the refineries and terminals. | |||
| # Establishment of a free airport at Lydda. | |||
| Bernadotte summarised his considerations in making the proposal as follows: | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| ===Second Proposal=== | |||
| At the time of his assassination, Bernadotte was working on a more complex second proposal that abandoned the idea of a Union and proposed two independent states. It was completed by his assistant ] and had as its basis seven "basic premises" (verbatim):<ref>''To Jerusalem'', p238-239; full report at </ref> | |||
| # Peace must return to Palestine and every feasible measure should be taken to ensure that hostilities will not be resumed and that harmonious relations between Arab and Jew will ultimately be restored. | |||
| # A Jewish State called Israel exists in Palestine and there are no sound reasons for assuming that it will not continue to do so. | |||
| # The boundaries of this new State must finally be fixed either by formal agreement between the parties concerned or failing that, by the United Nations. | |||
| # Adherence to the principle of geographical homogeneity and integration, which should be the major objective of the boundary arrangements, should apply equally to Arab and Jewish territories, whose frontiers should not therefore, be rigidly controlled by the territorial arrangements envisaged in the resolution of 29 November. | |||
| # The right of innocent people, uprooted from their homes by the present terror and ravages of war, to return to their homes, should be affirmed and made effective, with assurance of adequate compensation for the property of those who may choose not to return. | |||
| # The City of Jerusalem, because of its religious and international significance and the complexity of interests involved, should be accorded special and separate treatment. | |||
| # International responsibility should be expressed where desirable and necessary in the form of international guarantees, as a means of allaying existing fears, and particularly with regard to boundaries and human rights. | |||
| The proposal then made specific suggestions that included (extracts):<ref>''To Jerusalem'', p239-241; full report at </ref> | |||
| # The existing indefinite truce should be superseded by a formal peace, or at the minimum, an armistice. | |||
| # The frontiers between the Arab and Jewish territories, in the absence of agreement between Arabs and Jews, should be established by the United Nations. | |||
| # The Negev should be defined as Arab territory. | |||
| # The frontier should run from Faluja north northeast to Ramleh and Lydda (both of which places would be in Arab territory). | |||
| # Galilee should be defined as Jewish territory. | |||
| # Haifa should be declared a free port, and Lydda airport should be declared a free airport. | |||
| # The City of Jerusalem, which should be understood as covering the area defined in the resolution of the General Assembly of 29 November, should be treated separately and should be placed under effective United Nations control with maximum feasible local autonomy for its Arab and Jewish communities with full safeguards for the protection of the Holy Places and sites and free access to them and for religious freedom. | |||
| # The United Nations should establish a Palestine conciliation commission. | |||
| # The right of the Arab refugees to return to their homes in Jewish-controlled territory at the earliest possible date should be affirmed by the United Nations, and their repatriation, resettlement and economic and social rehabilitation, and payment of adequate compensation for the property of those choosing not to return, should be supervised and assisted by the United Nations conciliation commission. | |||
| ⚫ | After Bernadotte's death, |
||
| ==Assassination== | ==Assassination== | ||
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| Lehi took public credit for the killings in the name of a previously unknown group, but Lehi's role was never in doubt. Lehi was forcibly disarmed and many members were arrested, but nobody was ever charged with the killings. Yellin-Mor and another Lehi member Schmuelevich were charged with belonging to a terrorist organization. They were found guilty but immediately released and pardoned (Yellin-Mor had meanwhile been elected to the first ]). Years later, Cohen's role was uncovered by ]'s biographer ] while Cohen was working for Ben-Gurion as a security guard. The first public admission of Lehi's role in the killing was made in 1977 (], Feb 28). | Lehi took public credit for the killings in the name of a previously unknown group, but Lehi's role was never in doubt. Lehi was forcibly disarmed and many members were arrested, but nobody was ever charged with the killings. Yellin-Mor and another Lehi member Schmuelevich were charged with belonging to a terrorist organization. They were found guilty but immediately released and pardoned (Yellin-Mor had meanwhile been elected to the first ]). Years later, Cohen's role was uncovered by ]'s biographer ] while Cohen was working for Ben-Gurion as a security guard. The first public admission of Lehi's role in the killing was made in 1977 (], Feb 28). | ||
| ===Posthumous publication of his mediation efforts=== | |||
| Three days after his death, a report describing Bernadotte's peace efforts was published. It included the following proposals:] | |||
| *To transform the first lull in the fighting into a permanent peace, or at least a ceasefire, and determine the final borders of the Jewish and Arab states in Palestine | |||
| *To grant the ] desert to the Arab state and the ] to the Jewish state | |||
| *To internationalize ] (his first report however stated that it will be controlled by the Arabs) | |||
| *To grant control over the Arab sections of Palestine to the Arab states (in effect, ]) | |||
| *To ensure that the port in ] and the airport in ] serve both the Jewish and Arab sections of the country, and the neighboring Arab states. | |||
| * ], except the airport, and ] will be controlled by ]. | |||
| *To return the 360,000 Arab refugees to their homes | |||
| *] will be subjected to the agreement of ]. | |||
| *To establish a Reconciliation Committee as the first step toward achieving a lasting peace in the region. | |||
| ⚫ | The government of ] rejected the proposals. After Bernadotte's death, American mediator ] was appointed to replace him. Bunche eventually negotiated a ceasefire, signed on the Greek island of ]. See ]. | ||
| ===Posthumous publication of his diary=== | |||
| Bernadotte kept a diary which was published in 1951. The diary shows that Bernadotte decided to designate Jerusalem for the Arab state. <ref name="bernadotte">Folke Bernadotte, To Jerusalem, (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1951), page 12 </ref> The diary shows Bernadotte's close relationships to British delegates and especially to ], king of ]. <ref> Bernadotte, page 164 </ref> | |||
| Bernadotte also wrote about his considerations in the agreement he proposes : <ref> Bernadotte, page 114 </ref> | |||
| <blockquote><blockquote> | |||
| ⚫ | "When proposing an offer for the solution of Palestine, one must remember the aspirations of the Jews, the hardships and the political disputes between the Arab leaders, the strategic interests of the United Kingdom, the financial commitments of the Unites States and of the U.S.S.R, the results of the war, and finally the authority and prestige of the United Nations" | ||
| </blockquote></blockquote> | |||
| ==Footnotes== | ==Footnotes== | ||
Revision as of 23:14, 24 September 2006
Count Folke Bernadotte of Wisborg (2 January 1895 - 17 September 1948) or simply Count Bernadotte, was a Swedish diplomat noted for his negotiation of the release of 15,000 mostly Scandinavian prisoners from the German concentration camps in World War II. He was assassinated by members of the Jewish underground group Lehi during his service as United Nations mediator in Palestine.
Bernadotte's grandfather was King Oscar II of Sweden, but Bernadotte's father Oscar Bernadotte left the royal family to pursue a disapproved marriage. Folke Bernadotte was a graduate of the military school of Karlberg and a Swedish cavalry officer in the Royal Horse Guards. He served in the Swedish legation headquarters at Friedrichsruh, Germany, during World War II, where in 1945 he received a German surrender offer from Heinrich Himmler. After the war, he was unanimously chosen by the victorious powers to be the United Nations Security Council mediator in the Arab-Israeli conflict of 1947-1948. He was assassinated in Jerusalem while pursuing his official duties.
Biography
Early life
He was the son of Oscar Bernadotte, Count of Wisborg (formerly Prince Oscar of Sweden) and his wife, née Ebba Henrietta Munck af Fulkila. Oscar, the son of King Oscar II of Sweden and Norway, married without the King's consent in 1888, thereby leaving the royal family, and was (in 1892) given the hereditary title Count of Wisborg by the Grand Duke Adolphe of Luxembourg.
Marriage and children
On 1 December 1928 he married Estelle Manville (b. 26 September 1904 in Pleasantville, New York), a wealthy American heiress whom he had met in the French Riviera. They had four sons: Gustaf (b. 1930), Folke (b. 1931), Frederik (b. 1934) and Bertil (b. 1935).
Diplomatic career
World War II
Bernadotte, while vice-president of the Swedish Red Cross in 1945, attempted to negotiate an armistice between Germany and the Allies. At the very end of the war he received Heinrich Himmler's offer, from 24 April of Germany's complete surrender to Britain and the United States, provided Germany was allowed to continue resistance against the Soviet Union. The offer was passed on to Prime Minister Winston Churchill and President Harry S. Truman.
Just before the end of World War II he gained much good will leading a rescue operation transporting interned Norwegians, Danes and other West-Europeans inmates from German Concentration Camps to hospitals in Sweden, of whom some speaking French from the Cap Arcona. In the "White Buses" of the Bernadotte-expedition 15,000 persons were liberated, mostly Scandinavians but also quite a few Jews. However, it's been claimed that Bernadotte refused to rescue Jews, and the Jews that were included were there in spite of his refusal and as a result of pressure from Himmler and Himmler's doctor Felix Kersten
Bernadotte served on the World Scout Committee of the World Organization of the Scout Movement from 1947 until 1948.
UN mediator
Following the 1947 UN Partition Plan, on 20 May 1948, Folke Bernadotte was appointed the United Nations' mediator in Palestine. This made him the first official mediator in the history of the world organization. In this capacity, he succeeded in achieving a truce in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War and laid the groundwork for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.
Assassination
Killed by Lehi in Jerusalem
Bernadotte was assassinated on 17 September 1948 by members of the Lehi group, sometimes known as the Stern Gang. The assassination was approved by the three-man Lehi 'center': Yitzhak Shamir, Natan Yellin-Mor and Yisrael Eldad, and planned by the Lehi operations chief in Jerusalem, Yehoshua Zetler. A four-man team lead by Meshulam Makover ambushed Bernadotte's motorcade in downtown Jerusalem and team member Yehoshua Cohen fired into Bernadotte's car. Bernadotte and his aide, UN observer Colonel André Serot were killed. The following day the United Nations Security Council condemned the killing of Bernadotte as "a cowardly act which appears to have been committed by a criminal group of terrorists in Jerusalem while the United Nations representative was fulfilling his peace-seeking mission in the Holy Land".
Lehi took public credit for the killings in the name of a previously unknown group, but Lehi's role was never in doubt. Lehi was forcibly disarmed and many members were arrested, but nobody was ever charged with the killings. Yellin-Mor and another Lehi member Schmuelevich were charged with belonging to a terrorist organization. They were found guilty but immediately released and pardoned (Yellin-Mor had meanwhile been elected to the first Knesset). Years later, Cohen's role was uncovered by David Ben-Gurion's biographer Michael Bar Zohar while Cohen was working for Ben-Gurion as a security guard. The first public admission of Lehi's role in the killing was made in 1977 (Yediot Aharonot, Feb 28).
Posthumous publication of his mediation efforts
Three days after his death, a report describing Bernadotte's peace efforts was published. It included the following proposals:
- To transform the first lull in the fighting into a permanent peace, or at least a ceasefire, and determine the final borders of the Jewish and Arab states in Palestine
- To grant the Negev desert to the Arab state and the Galilee to the Jewish state
- To internationalize Jerusalem (his first report however stated that it will be controlled by the Arabs)
- To grant control over the Arab sections of Palestine to the Arab states (in effect, Transjordan)
- To ensure that the port in Haifa and the airport in Lydda serve both the Jewish and Arab sections of the country, and the neighboring Arab states.
- Lydda, except the airport, and Ramle will be controlled by Transjordan.
- To return the 360,000 Arab refugees to their homes
- Aliyah will be subjected to the agreement of Transjordan.
- To establish a Reconciliation Committee as the first step toward achieving a lasting peace in the region.
The government of Israel rejected the proposals. After Bernadotte's death, American mediator Ralph Bunche was appointed to replace him. Bunche eventually negotiated a ceasefire, signed on the Greek island of Rhodes. See 1949 Armistice Agreements.
Posthumous publication of his diary
Bernadotte kept a diary which was published in 1951. The diary shows that Bernadotte decided to designate Jerusalem for the Arab state. The diary shows Bernadotte's close relationships to British delegates and especially to Abdullah, king of Transjordan.
Bernadotte also wrote about his considerations in the agreement he proposes :
"When proposing an offer for the solution of Palestine, one must remember the aspirations of the Jews, the hardships and the political disputes between the Arab leaders, the strategic interests of the United Kingdom, the financial commitments of the Unites States and of the U.S.S.R, the results of the war, and finally the authority and prestige of the United Nations"
Footnotes
- The Kersten memoirs, 1940-1945, (1956); Hugh Trevor-Roper, The Last Days of Hitler (1971); Baruch Nadal, Bernadotte's murder (1968); Ofer Regev, Prince Of Jerusalem (2006) pages 138-165, page 184;
- Security Council 57 (1948) Resolution of 18 September 1948.
- Folke Bernadotte, To Jerusalem, (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1951), page 12
- Bernadotte, page 164
- Bernadotte, page 114
References
- Kushner, Harvey W. (2002). Encyclopedia of Terrorism. Sage Publications. ISBN 0-7619-2408-6
- Schwartz, Ted (1992). Walking with the Damned: The Shocking Murder of the Man Who Freed 30,000 Prisoners From the Nazis. Paragon House, New York. ISBN 1-55778-315-2