Misrepresenting Bernadotte

Mark Weiner of Washington, DC has a letter in today's JPost, which reads, in part:

Sir, – As context for its announcement to recognize the state of Palestine, Sweden’s 66-year-old vendetta against Israel over the death of Count Folke Bernadotte should have been mentioned in your October 6 editorial “Swedish mistake.”
Zionist fighters murdered the count in 1948 as he worked to negotiate a peace settlement between Arabs and Israelis.
...He was indeed a hero. He saved thousands from Nazi concentration camps and sought a peaceful solution to the Arab-Israeli crisis. He deserved to be honored.
However...Sweden holds a grudge for that 1948 paramilitary operation...

Weiner, a major in the US Air Force, served as military assistant to the head of mission of the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization, should be more circumspect about Bernadotte.

For example, his 'heroism' was in limiting the amount of Jews saved and keeping them separate from the non-Jews he was working for, not to mention the suggestion that he was simply aiding Hummler to avoid post-war proceedings and punishment by providing him with an opportunity to make a "humanitatrian gesture" when it was too late:

he first sought to fill a larger role than had been assigned to him, and that afterwards, in a foolish attempt to monopolize the glory of the achievement, he allowed himself to claim a position which could only be defended by unfortunate exhibitionism and unfair persecution...he had promised the Swedish branch of the World Jewish Congress to secure the release to Sweden, if possible, of a further 3,500 Jewish prisoners. To this Himmler had agreed, but suddenly Bernadotte (to the surprise of Himmler and dismay of Kersten) refused to handle non-Scandinavian prisoners. In the end, however, after a visit by Kersten to Günther in Stockholm, these difficulties were all overcome...Count Bernadotte had to admit that the rescue, ascribed to him alone, actually had two phases: first, the release of the prisoners from the camps in Germany, which was achieved by Dr. Kersten alone; and secondly, his [Bernadotte's] transport of the released prisoners.”

The numbers in the end were 6500 Jews out of 21,000 rescued.  Even Weiner is misleading as he weites of thousands saved but neglects to note how many Jews.

Not only that but his "peace" was basically stripping Israel of its territory, its capital and its ability to defend itself.  That's not peace.

The main points of this "plan:"
Inclusion of all or most 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.
Limitation of Jewish immigration.
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 Lod.

Incidentally, the Arabs also think he was but a British agent when they learned

There would be no Palestinian state apparently. Bernadotte wrote:
The disposition of the territory of Palestine not included within the boundaries of the Jewish State should be left to the Governments of the Arab States in full consultation with the Arab inhabitants of Palestine, with the recommendation, however, that in view of the historical connexion and common interests of Transjordan and Palestine there would be compelling reasons for merging the Arab territory of Palestine with the territory of Transjordan...

As Baruch Nadel has written

In short, he had promoted the pro-Arab policy of the British.

If one does not know history, one should not write about it. 

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