- Aide accused of hushing report on killings of 9 Palestinian Americans.
- NYT investigation draws on 15 US officials, 9 ex-diplomats, documents.
- Huckabee rejects allegations, describing report as lacking factual basis.
A senior adviser to US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee allegedly blocked, delayed or rewrote diplomatic reports on Israeli government actions to present Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government in a more favourable light, a New York Times investigation has found.
The investigation identified David Milstein, who joined the US Embassy in Jerusalem in April 2025, as the official accused of intervening in reporting on Israeli settlement expansion, violence by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
The newspaper said it interviewed 15 US officials who had worked with Milstein, nine former diplomats and reviewed dozens of internal cables, memos and other communications.
Officials told the newspaper they were concerned that policymakers in Washington were not receiving a complete or accurate account of events on the ground.
Settlement expansion report allegedly blocked
One of the most significant cases concerned Israel’s approval of a record number of settlements in the occupied West Bank in late March.
Embassy staff drafted an urgent report for Washington after concluding that the move could conflict with President Donald Trump’s stated opposition to annexation of the territory. Three US officials briefed on the process told the newspaper that Milstein blocked the report from being sent.
The alleged intervention raised questions about whether Washington was receiving timely assessments of Israeli policies that could affect US diplomatic objectives.
Report on settler violence allegedly recast
The investigation also detailed alleged interference in embassy reporting on violence by Israeli settlers in the West Bank.
As attacks increased in the spring, embassy staff sought to report concerns that the Israeli government was failing to take adequate action. Instead, according to three officials cited by the newspaper, a cable sent to Washington praised Israel for “cracking down” on the attacks.
The newspaper reported that other assessments also presented Israeli efforts in a more favourable light than the original reporting prepared by embassy staff.
Gaza aid assessment allegedly replaced
Another case concerned the humanitarian situation in Gaza after Israel halted aid deliveries in 2025.
US diplomats drafted a cable warning of worsening conditions and concerns about the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which had been established as an alternative aid-distribution mechanism.
Milstein reportedly sent a separate cable that portrayed the foundation more favourably than the original assessment. The reported discrepancy raised concerns about whether Washington was being given an accurate account of the risks and shortcomings associated with aid distribution.
Report on nine Palestinian Americans
The investigation also alleged that Milstein suppressed a detailed embassy report concerning the killings of nine Palestinian Americans by Israeli settlers and security forces in the occupied West Bank over four years.
The report had been prepared after members of Congress sought information about the deaths. According to officials familiar with the matter, embassy staff found that most investigations had made little progress, some had been closed, and no one had been prosecuted.
Milstein reportedly argued that the embassy should instead send a letter stating that Israel was handling the investigations properly.
The alleged intervention was particularly significant because lawmakers were seeking information from the US government about the deaths of American citizens and the status of investigations into them.
Embassy reporting reportedly fell sharply
The newspaper said Milstein began requiring approval of communications from the embassy section dealing with Palestinian affairs soon after arriving in Jerusalem.
According to officials with direct knowledge of the process, the volume of cables fell from several a week to only a handful a month. Some staff members reportedly became reluctant to prepare assessments because they feared the reports would be blocked, delayed or rewritten.
Former US diplomats told the newspaper that withholding or materially altering information sent to Washington could undermine the policymaking process by preventing senior officials from making decisions based on a full assessment of developments.
It remains unclear how much Huckabee knew about the alleged interventions or whether they affected White House policy. Officials told the newspaper that the ambassador had sometimes worked with Milstein to limit or reshape reporting, but had also reined in the aide when he believed he had gone too far.
Huckabee rejects allegations
Huckabee rejected the investigation’s findings but did not address the individual cases in detail.
“The elements of the story The New York Times is trying to assemble are so lacking in fact that it ranks up with other Times farcical endeavors,” he said, adding: “I personally and categorically refute the elements of your proposed ‘story’.”
The State Department responded: “The entire team at State remains focused on advancing President Trump’s America First agenda.” The White House referred the newspaper to the department.
The investigation also noted that previous US ambassadors to Israel had political advisers who sought to influence reporting, and that reviewing or amending embassy communications can form part of senior officials’ responsibilities. The central allegation against Milstein, however, is that he went beyond routine review by suppressing reports or changing their substance.
The findings raise broader questions about oversight of diplomatic reporting and whether political considerations can prevent US policymakers from receiving candid assessments of the actions of a close ally.
