(Politico) — An overwhelming majority of voters believe the president should be a strong supporter of Israel, but are evenly split over whether President Barack Obama fits that bill, according to a new poll.

Nearly two thirds — 63 percent — told Quinnipiac University pollsters that the president should be a strong supporter of Israel. But those surveyed were divided on how Obama has dealt with Israel, with 39 percent saying he is a strong supporter of the country and 40 percent disagreeing.

Just 20 percent of those polled said the president should not be a strong supporter of Israel.

Voters also disapprove, 48 percent to 34 percent, of the way Obama is handling the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the poll showed. Voters’ sympathies lie more with the Israelis than the Palestinians, 51 to 15 percent, although 44 percent say they support the establishment of a Palestinian state. A little over one-third, or 35 percent, told pollsters they oppose a Palestinian state.