Breaking· Politics· Updated
US Ambassador's Aide Accused of Altering Reports on Israel
David Millstein, a senior advisor and Chief of Staff to U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, has been accused of systematically blocking, filtering, and rewriting diplomatic reports to portray the Israeli government in a positive light. According to an investigation by The New York Times, which was based on internal documents and interviews with 15 American officials, Millstein has acted as a gatekeeper since taking his post in April 2025, shielding the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from criticism within the Trump administration.
7 newsrooms · 1 language · since
What happened
- 01A New York Times investigation accused David Millstein of censoring and rewriting U.S. Embassy reports to favor the Netanyahu government.
- 02Millstein allegedly blocked an urgent March memo warning that record Israeli construction approvals in Judea and Samaria violated President Trump's red lines.
- 03According to Haaretz, the suppressed memo concerned the Israeli cabinet's approval of 34 new communities in Judea and Samaria.
- 04Millstein reportedly blocked embassy reports on rising violence by Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria and the government's failure to address it.
- 05He allegedly diluted a detailed report for U.S. lawmakers regarding the deaths of nine Palestinian-Americans killed by security forces and residents.
- 06A warning about mass casualties at Gaza aid distribution sites was reportedly rewritten by Millstein to portray the operation as a success.
- 07U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee defended Millstein and dismissed the allegations in the investigation as factually baseless.
Among the blocked communications was an urgent March memo drafted by Jerusalem embassy staff warning that Israel's approval of a record number of construction projects in Judea and Samaria could violate President Trump's red lines against annexation. Haaretz reported that the blocked document concerned the approval of 34 new communities. Millstein also allegedly suppressed reports on the Israeli government's inaction regarding violence by Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria, instead issuing a cable praising Israel's tough enforcement actions. Additionally, he reportedly diluted a detailed embassy report regarding the deaths of nine Palestinian-Americans killed by security forces and residents, hindering congressional inquiries.
In Gaza, Millstein allegedly altered a warning about mass casualties at aid distribution sites to present the operation as a success. U.S. officials expressed concern that these interventions distorted the administration's understanding of events and could undermine U.S. policy. Ambassador Huckabee defended Millstein, calling the allegations factually baseless, while his office denied the claims.
Summarized by baba from the reports of 6 newsrooms. Updated
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The coverage
7 newsrooms on this story
Who covered it
- Left1
- Centre3
- Right2
- Haredi1
- ArabNone
