US embassy aide accused of suppressing reports critical of Israel

The New York Times investigation, as summarized by ZeroHedge, said David Milstein, a senior aide to U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee, repeatedly blocked, rewrote or delayed embassy reporting headed to Washington. The account attributed the allegations to U.S. officials and former diplomats who spoke anonymously. [2]

The reported interventions concerned Israeli settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank, settler violence and the killings of nine Palestinian Americans. The newspaper said it reviewed internal diplomatic cables, memorandums and other communications while interviewing officials familiar with Milstein’s work. [2]

One cited case involved an urgent embassy report on a major Israeli settlement expansion approved in late March. Staff reportedly viewed the move as conflicting with the Trump administration’s stated opposition to annexation of the West Bank, but the report was allegedly stopped before reaching Washington. [2]

Another example concerned settler violence. According to the reported account, embassy staff prepared an assessment that Israel was failing to address rising violence, while the cable ultimately sent to Washington praised Israel for cracking down, according to three officials. [2]

The New American’s summary said a separate cable about the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’s distribution sites warned that chaotic and deadly operations risked further mass-casualty events. It said the memo was quashed by Milstein, citing officials briefed on the process. [1]