In an overwhelming vote of 347-101, the Rotary Intranational Board adopted in October 2024 a resolution 24R-18 calling for the need to “maintain a firm position on the prohibition of political subjects by Rotary International.”

 The resolution was followed by the removal from their website of a one-sided statement issued on the 13^th of October 2023 regarding the situation in Gaza. That controversial statement which violated Rotary principles had stated that Rotary International “unequivocally condemns the horrific attack by Hamas on Israeli civilians and is appalled at the number of people who have been injured, killed, and kidnapped.” The statement did not refer to Israeli attacks on Palestinian civilians nor did it mention the 75 years of Palestinian refugees not allowed to return the 57 years of unending Israeli occupation and illegal settler colonialism or the 17 years of an unauthorized Israeli siege on the Gaza Strip that in part produced this explosion of Palestinian refugees banned from return, living under occupation and siege.

It is note worthy that the decision of Rotary International came, in part, as a result of consistent protests by Rotary clubs, led by the Amman Rotary Cosmopolitan Club and the rejection of the club leadership attempts by the Rotary International to attempts at justifying the one-sided position that the President of Rotary International Gordon McInally issued.

As President of Rotary Cosmopolitan, Nasri J. Rabadi stated in his, 7^th of November, reply that   Rotarians in Jordan feel that “IF the RIP allows himself to breach the rules and violates the principles of Rotary, then who would stick to these rules and principle anymore, and who would listen to your excellency when you preach those principles in the future. Rotarians worldwide would lose respect for the position of RIP and his yearly message would become a yearly lie.”

President Rabadi concluded that Jordanian Rotarians believe that “RI statement if posted, will harm the Rotary Organization which your Excellency’s job is to protect and promote. We also believe that your statement, if stayed posted, will put all the RIPs that will come after you for many years in very awkward positions trying to find excuses for your breaching the Organization's basic rules and principles.”

While it took Rotary International an entire year to restate its principled position and remove the flagrant statement, nevertheless it is important to note the saying that it is better late than never.

However now that this issue has been resolved and the biased statement removed from the official Rotary website, it is important that all Rotarians stay vigil and continue in the insistence on the need to respect the principle of noninterference in political and religious issues. Rotarians in Jordan should redouble their involvement and activity in their clubs and can take pride in the fact their action has produced the necessary result in the removal of this abhorrent one-sided statement by the person who is entrusted with defending the rules and principles of this important organization.