American diplomat withheld reports from the White House on Gaza and the West Bank in favor of "Israel"
A New York Times investigation revealed that David Milstein, an aide to US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, interfered in embassy reports on Gaza and the West Bank by preventing some from being sent, altering their content, or delaying them, thereby presenting a more positive picture of Israel. The interventions included reports on settlement expansion, settler attacks, investigations into the deaths of Palestinian Americans, and the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
An investigative report by The New York Times revealed that David Milstein, a senior aide to US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, repeatedly interfered in diplomatic reports prepared by the embassy regarding the situation in the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank. The interference included preventing the sending of some reports, altering their content, or delaying them, resulting in a more positive portrayal of the Israeli occupation government in official correspondence. The investigation was based on interviews with 15 US officials and nine former diplomats, and a review of dozens of cables and memos. Among the most notable incidents, Milstein prevented the sending of an urgent report on a major Israeli settlement expansion plan in the West Bank, fearing it would conflict with Trump's opposition to annexation. He also rewrote a cable about settler attacks to praise Israel instead of criticizing its government's inaction. In the case of investigations into the deaths of nine Palestinian Americans, Milstein refused to pass on a report concluding that no progress had been made, and pushed for an alternative message stating that Israel was handling the investigations appropriately. He also rewrote a cable on the humanitarian situation in Gaza to present the work of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation more positively, while omitting information about casualties at aid distribution sites.