Folke Bernadotte was a Swedish diplomat. He was the United Nations Mediator for Palestine. On September 17, 1948, he was assassinated in Jerusalem. He was shot by members of Lehi, a Zionist paramilitary group also known as the Stern Gang. The attack happened in the Israeli-held area of Jerusalem. Bernadotte was in a car with Colonel Andre Serot, a French UN observer. Both were killed. The operation was planned and supervised by Yehoshua Zettler, a senior Lehi commander. The triggerman was Yehoshua Cohen. Yitzhak Shamir, who later became Prime Minister of Israel, was also involved in the leadership of Lehi at that time. The group opposed Bernadotte's proposals. He wanted to allow Palestinian refugees to return to their homes. He also wanted to internationalize Jerusalem. Lehi saw him as a threat to Zionist goals. After the assassination, the Israeli government arrested hundreds of Lehi members. They declared the group a terrorist organization. The UN Security Council condemned the killing. The Israeli government later apologized and paid reparations to the UN. No one was ever charged for the assassination. Yehoshua Cohen became a kibbutznik. The case remains unsolved by the Israeli justice system. This assassination shows that Zionist paramilitaries targeted and killed a UN diplomat who tried to bring peace.
