Two years into war in Gaza, advocates demand Gov. Beshear to take a stance

As Americans continue to disagree about the country’s involvement in the Israeli-Hamas conflict in Gaza, a Middle East advocacy group has a message to Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear: Pick a side.

The two-term Democratic governor spent Oct. 7 in New Hampshire on the second anniversary of Hamas’ brutal attack in Israel that killed at least 1,200 people.

An estimated 240 hostages also were taken that day after about 1,500 Hamas militants infiltrated Israel. They targeted military bases and civilian neighborhoods near the border, including a music festival. Israel has spent the two years since retaliating against Gaza in a conflict that has left over 67,000 Palestinians and almost 1,1000 Israelis dead.

New Hampshire is an early presidential primary state, often seen as a campaign stop for contenders contemplating a run at the White House.

As Tuesday’s visit adds to the speculation Beshear will run for president in 2028, advocates from the Institute for Middle East Understanding have spent $25,000 on ads urging him to take a side on the war.

The group is a 20-year-old independent organization that aims to raise awareness on issues facing Palestinians and Palestinian-Americans.

“Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear is in New Hampshire auditioning to be president,“ the ad states. “If you won’t stand against genocide, you can’t be the Democratic nominee for president.”

The ads were distributed on cable television and on social media.

Beshear, the group elaborates in a social media post on X, says “we shouldn’t criticize Israel ‘publicly’ and refuses to support ending weapons to Israel.”

For months, Beshear has dodged questions about the United States’ involvement.

In July, he told Vogue that allies shouldn’t discuss their disagreements publicly, adding that Israel is a “critical ally.”

In August, he declined to comment to Politico on Rep. Bernie Sanders’ July joint resolution proposal for Congressional disapproval of America sending arms to Israel. Nineteen Democratic senators voted against the resolution that failed July 30.

Beshear expressed criticism of the starvation of people in Gaza in a comment from his campaign manager Eric Hyers.

“President Trump can and should provide aid to address starvation and suffering in Gaza, and he should do so in a way that does not compromise the safety of the Israeli people,” Hyers told the Herald-Leader on Oct. 7.

The advocacy organization recently ran similar ads against another possible 2028 presidential candidate, Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego, who, after declining to comment on the conflict, subsequently urged Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessen to stop Israel from blocking humanitarian aid into Gaza.

“Given the increasingly dire humanitarian conditions in Gaza and ongoing violence in the West Bank, the U.S. must do more to ensure the safe distribution of aid and promote security and stability in these areas to prevent further conflict,” Gallego wrote alongside six other U.S. senators.

Both ads emphasize the American people’s declining support for the war.

An Oct. 3 report from the Pew Research Center found 39% of Americans now say Israel has acted too aggressively in its military operation against Hamas, an increase of 12 percentage points from late 2023.

The report found that Republicans are far more likely than Democrats to approve of Trump’s handling of the conflict and say he is striking the right balance between the Israelis and the Palestinians.

The report adds that Democrats are more likely than Republicans to say they are extremely or very concerned about Israeli military strikes in Gaza killing Palestinian civilians, starvation in Gaza, and the possibility of Palestinians being forced to leave Gaza.

Republicans are more likely than Democrats to say they are extremely or very concerned about the possibility of Hamas attacking Israel in the future.

It also reports that 59% of Americans say they hold an unfavorable opinion of the Israeli government, up from eight percentage points from early 2024.

Nearly 3,450 panelists responded to the survey taken between Sept. 22 and Sept. 28, before President Donald Trump’s latest discussions of a peace plan and before Israel’s blockade of a humanitarian aid boat on Sept. 30.

Beshear’s visit to New Hampshire marks his second visit of the year to an early primary state, following his trip to South Carolina on July 18. His day is packed with events to rally Democratic momentum ahead of the state’s 2026 elections.

The purple state is currently led by a Republican governor and majority Republican statehouse but voted for Democrats Kamala Harris, Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton in the past three presidential races.