The United States defended on Tuesday the decision by Israel to withhold customs and tax monies collected on behalf of the Palestinian government before the radical Hamas takes power.

"The U.S. position is this is a sovereign decision for the government of Israel to make," State Department deputy spokesman Adam Ereli said at a briefing.

"I would note that the government of Israel also said that they 're mindful of the humanitarian needs of the Palestinian people and will act with those concerns at heart," Ereli said.

The Israeli cabinet voted on Sunday to freeze the monthly transfers of as much as 50 million dollars in Palestinian customs revenue even before a Hamas-led Palestinian government takes place.

United Nations Middle East envoy Alvaro de Soto has criticized the Israeli move as "problematic."

Source: Xinhua