NYT exclusive: How a US diplomat allegedly shielded Israel from scrutiny

A senior aide to US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee suppressed or altered diplomatic reports critical of Israel’s government, raising concerns that policymakers in Washington were receiving a distorted account of Israeli actions, an exclusive investigation by The New York Times has found.

David Milstein, 36, a top adviser to Huckabee, allegedly blocked reports, rewrote diplomatic cables and delayed their approval to portray Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government in a favourable light, according to interviews with US officials and internal documents reviewed by The New York Times.

The report said Milstein’s interventions affected diplomatic reporting on Israeli settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank, violence by Israeli settlers and investigations into the killings of Palestinian Americans by Israeli settlers or security forces.

In one instance, US Embassy staff in Jerusalem prepared an urgent report after Israel approved more settlements in the West Bank in late March. Officials viewed the move as potentially conflicting with President Donald Trump’s stated opposition to Israeli annexation of the territory.

However, the report never reached Washington after Milstein allegedly blocked it, according to three US officials briefed on the matter.

In another case, embassy staff drafted a cable warning that rising settler violence in the West Bank could trigger a new Palestinian uprising. Instead, a report authored by Milstein praised Netanyahu’s government for taking “unprecedented new initiatives to combat” the violence. Its headline read, “Government Cracks Down on Escalating West Bank Violence,” according to documents reviewed by the newspaper.

The investigation also found that Milstein allegedly rewrote a report on the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a US- and Israel-backed aid organisation, after dozens of Palestinians seeking food were killed near its distribution sites in the summer of 2025.

The original cable warned that the aid distribution process was chaotic and deadly and risked further mass-casualty incidents. Milstein allegedly revised it to describe the operation as a success while omitting the deaths, according to people familiar with the report.

Reports on Palestinian Americans’ deaths

Another disputed intervention involved investigations into the killings of nine Palestinian Americans by Israeli settlers or security forces in the occupied West Bank over four years.

In February, 19-year-old Nasrallah Abu Siyam was shot dead while attempting to stop settlers from stealing livestock in his village. The incident prompted renewed demands from US lawmakers for accountability.

In March, embassy officials prepared a report detailing the status of investigations into the nine deaths. Its findings indicated that most investigations had made little progress, some cases had been closed and no one had been charged, according to officials briefed on the process.

Milstein allegedly opposed sending the report to Washington and argued that the embassy should instead assure lawmakers that Israel was properly handling the investigations.

On May 4, a State Department official responded to a letter from Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen and 29 other members of Congress, saying the embassy was working with Israel to “ensure accountability for these deaths”.

Van Hollen said the response did not provide sufficient reassurance.

“If you don’t get accountability, you endanger more American citizens,” he told The New York Times.

Diplomatic reporting under scrutiny

The newspaper reported that Milstein began seeking approval authority over communications from the embassy section dealing with Palestinian affairs shortly after arriving in Jerusalem in April 2025. The number of cables sent to Washington subsequently fell from several a week to a few a month, according to officials familiar with the process.

Some staff members reportedly became reluctant to draft reports because they feared Milstein would block or rewrite them.

The alleged interventions also prompted concern among officials at the White House and State Department. According to The New York Times, some officials bypassed standard diplomatic channels on at least two occasions to contact embassy staff directly for a clearer picture of events.

Dan Kurtzer, a former US ambassador to Israel under President George W Bush, said diplomatic reporting should provide Washington with a complete account of developments.

“The embassy ought to tell Washington everything — the good, the bad and the ugly,” Kurtzer said. He warned that withholding or distorting information could undermine policymaking and potentially contradict the president’s policies.

Milstein, a conservative Republican and stepson of right-wing radio host Mark Levin, previously worked for Senator Ted Cruz and former US Ambassador to Israel David M Friedman. He also handled outreach to pro-Israel voters for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis before returning to the US embassy in Jerusalem in 2025.

Huckabee, a longtime supporter of Israeli settlements, is required to approve most diplomatic cables and major decisions. However, officials told the newspaper that Milstein sometimes acted independently, while in other cases Huckabee worked with him to suppress or recast information. The officials also said Huckabee had intervened when he believed his aide had gone too far.

Huckabee rejects allegations

Both Huckabee and Milstein declined interview requests from The New York Times.

Responding to questions about the investigation, Huckabee rejected its allegations without addressing the specific incidents cited in the report.

“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 in a statement, adding that he “personally and categorically” refuted the allegations.

The US State Department said its team remained focused on advancing Trump’s “America First” agenda. The White House referred the newspaper to the State Department.

The allegations emerge amid growing international criticism of Israel’s settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank. Britain, Canada and France announced sanctions targeting Israeli settlements last month, citing concerns over settlement policies and violence.

The New York Times said its investigation drew on interviews with 15 current US officials and nine former diplomats, as well as dozens of internal documents, diplomatic cables, memos and other communications. The officials spoke anonymously, citing concerns about possible reprisals.

The newspaper said it remained unclear whether Milstein’s interventions had directly influenced White House policy. However, the findings raised questions about whether diplomatic reporting reaching Washington accurately reflected developments on the ground.