A view of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Photo: Berthold Werner.

The National Omnibus Poll, conducted by McLaughlin Associates, surveyed 1,000 Americans, and found that the majority want tougher sanctions on Iran and believe any state run by the Palestinian Authority would become a hotbed for terror.

The questions in the survey relating to Israel and Iran were sponsored by the Zionist Organization of America, the surveying company said in a statement.

The poll found that 59% of Americans believe that the U.S. should impose stronger sanctions on Iran to pressure it to stop its nuclear program, while only 17% believe the U.S. should weaken sanctions on Iran to convince it to stop nuclear development — almost a 3.5-to-1 ratio.

Asked another way, the poll found that 51% of Americans believe that U.S. President Barack Obama has not done all he can to prevent Iran developing nuclear weapons, compared to 28% who believe that he has, almost a 2-to-1 ratio.

On Israel, the poll found that 47% of Americans believe that Israeli Jews should have the right to live in the West Bank, whereas only 14% of Americans believe only Palestinian Arabs should have the right to live there, a 3-to-1 ratio.

Meanwhile, 72% of Americans oppose President Obama’s plan to give the Palestinian Authority (PA) $440 million in aid, compared to 15% who believe that he should, almost a 5-to-1 ratio.

The poll found that 63% of Americans believe that the PA should recognize Israel as the sovereign state of the Jewish people, whereas only 11% believe it should not, almost a 6-to-1 ratio.

It found that 55% of Americans believe that Jerusalem should remain the undivided capital of Israel, as opposed to 13% who believe it should not, more than a 4-to-1 ratio.

Only 31% of Americans believe that President Obama is a close and reliable friend of Israel, as opposed to 38% who believe that he is not.

The pollsters said their sample was split between Democrats (42%)  and Republicans (41%) with the remainder Independents or unidentified. By religion, the cohort was split among Protestants (46%), Catholics (30%), Jews (3.6%), and, by ethnicity, split among Whites (70%), African Americans (13%), Hispanics (12%), and Asians (3%).

Mort Klein, ZOA National President, said, “The results of this latest, very detailed and highly representative survey of American opinion show gratifyingly high, indeed, overwhelming levels of support for positions Israel takes, as opposed to the position the Obama Administration takes. It also shows an understanding of the dangers Israel faces from a terror-sponsoring Palestinian Authority.

“Americans believe by an overwhelming ratio that Israeli Jews have a right to live in Judea/Samaria (West Bank), whereas only a small percentage believe in the racist, anti-Semitic Palestinian position that only Palestinians have the right to live there. Large majorities of Americans clearly understand that a Palestinian state, if established, will not live in peace with Israel and will simply be another Mideast terrorist state.

“President Obama and Secretary of State Kerry should heed these results. They should understand that the American people expect our government to support Israel; stop promoting a Palestinian state; stop condemning Jewish communities in Judea/Samaria and eastern Jerusalem as ‘illegitimate’; support Jerusalem as Israel’s undivided capital; stop funding the PA and impose stronger sanctions on Iran to persuade it to terminate its nuclear weapons program.”