US Envoy Accused of Altering Reports Critical of Israel

A "New York Times" investigation reveals that David Millstein, a senior advisor to U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, repeatedly blocked or significantly altered critical reports about Israel. Millstein's actions aimed to present Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government favorably to Washington.

The investigation, based on interviews with 15 U.S. officials and nine former diplomats, along with dozens of internal documents, suggests Millstein's interventions were more extensive than those of his predecessors. Some officials expressed concern that his actions undermined standard diplomatic work and contradicted stated U.S. policy under President Donald Trump.

Examples cited include a report on Israel approving increased settlement construction in the West Bank, which Millstein allegedly blocked. Another instance involved warnings from Israeli military officials about settler violence potentially igniting a Palestinian uprising; Millstein reportedly prevented these warnings from being sent in their original form, instead praising Netanyahu's initiatives against violence.

Furthermore, Millstein is accused of blocking a detailed report requested by members of Congress regarding the deaths of nine Palestinian-Americans in the West Bank over four years. The blocked report indicated little progress in investigations and the closure of cases without indictments. Millstein allegedly suggested sending a letter stating Israel was handling the investigations properly instead.

Sources claim Millstein began insisting on approving outgoing communications concerning Palestinian affairs shortly after returning to the embassy in Jerusalem. This led to a significant drop in reporting frequency, as some staff avoided writing reports fearing Millstein would block or rewrite them. It remains unclear to what extent Ambassador Huckabee was aware of or involved in Millstein's actions, though some suggest Huckabee sometimes acted independently and even blocked Millstein on occasion.

Millstein, whose stepfather is conservative radio host Mark Levin, previously served as an aide to Senator Ted Cruz and later to Ambassador David Friedman. He is described as a conservative Republican who has worked to present Israel in a positive light, sometimes by rewriting reports to convey a different message or delaying approvals until issues became irrelevant. The "New York Times" reported that both Millstein and Huckabee declined to be interviewed for the story. The State Department stated its team remains focused on advancing President Trump's agenda.