Iraqi constitution draft ready for final approval, lawmakers say News
Iraqi constitution draft ready for final approval, lawmakers say

[JURIST] The draft Iraqi constitution [JURIST news archive] is expected to receive final approval by the constitutional drafting committee [JURIST report] in coming days after the committee agreed Thursday to changes that appeared to ease tensions over the text. Abbas al-Bayati, a Shiite member of the drafting committee, said Friday that negotiators had agreed to an amendment affirming that Iraq is an active member of the Arab League, a concern of Sunni lawmakers [JURIST report] threatening to oppose the document. Al-Bayati said no further changes were planned for the constitution, and a vote on the charter is expected to be held when the National Assembly opens its next session on Sunday. UN officials have been awaiting a final draft [JURIST report] for printing and distribution ahead of a planned Oct. 15 referendum. Reuters has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

UN General Assembly approves Palestine partition plan

The UN General Assembly approved UN Resolution Resolution 181 (II) on November 29, 1947, recommending that the British Mandate for Palestine be split into a Jewish state, an Arab state, and an international zone for Jerusalem. The vote in the assembly was 33 for to 13 against, with 10 abstentions. The resolution sparked a war between Palestinian Arabs and Jews in 1947 and a wider war after Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Iraq, and Lebanon invaded the new State of Israel in 1948. Read Resolution 181 (II).

UN divided Palestine between Arabs and Jews

On November 29, 1947, the UN General Assembly voted to partition Palestine into Jewish and Arab territories, leading to the establishment of a Jewish state the following year. Read UN General Assembly Resolution 181.

Defense Secretary Robert McNamara resigns during Vietnam Conflict

On November 29, 1967, Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara announced that he was resigning from his office to accept an appointment as head of the World Bank. The announcement came as the Vietnam Conflict was becoming increasingly unpopular in the United States and abroad.