Swedish diplomat Folke Bernadotte was unanimously appointed "United Nations Mediator in Palestine" for the Security Council in the Arab-Israeli conflict between 1947 and 1948. The first official mediator in UN history, Bernadotte achieved an initial truce during the subsequent 1948 Arab-Israeli War and laid the foundation for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. His participation in mediation talks was criticized by the Israeli government for stating that the Arab nations were reluctant to resume fighting in Palestine and that the conflict now consisted of "incidents". Bernadotte was assassinated on 17 September 1948 by members of Lehi, a militant Jewish Zionist group.