Main content

The assassination of the UN's first Middle East mediator

The UN's first Middle East mediator, Count Bernadotte, was assassinated in Jerusalem in 1948, four months after his appointment and the creation of the state of Israel.

The UN's first Middle East mediator, Count Folke Bernadotte, was assassinated in Jerusalem in 1948. A Swedish diplomat and member of the Swedish royal family, Count Bernadotte was killed by Jewish extremists four months after being appointed to try to bring peace to what was already proving to be one of the most intractable conflicts in the world. Louise Hidalgo has been talking to his son, Bertil Berndotte, about the count and his mission.

Picture: Count Folke Bernadotte (centre foreground) in a jeep in Haifa on September 15th 1948. He was assassinated two days later in Jerusalem (Credit: AFP via Getty Images)

Available now

9 minutes

Last on

Thu 30 Apr 2020 03:50GMT

Broadcasts

  • Wed 29 Apr 2020 07:50GMT
  • Wed 29 Apr 2020 11:50GMT
  • Wed 29 Apr 2020 17:50GMT
  • Thu 30 Apr 2020 03:50GMT

Podcast