Top Trump Embassy Aide Accused of Blocking Reports on Israeli Settlements and Palestinian American Deaths

A senior aide to US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee is accused of restricting diplomatic reporting on Israeli settlement expansion, settler violence, and the deaths of American citizens, raising concerns that Washington policymakers may not have received the full picture of events in the West Bank.

David Milstein, a senior embassy adviser who returned to the Jerusalem mission in April 2025, allegedly blocked some reports, rewrote others, and delayed cables until their information was no longer relevant, according to US officials familiar with his work and internal diplomatic records.

The allegations take on added significance because Congress has repeatedly sought information about nine Americans killed in the West Bank since 2022. On 29 September, the Senate rejected a resolution that would have required the State Department to report on those deaths and wider human rights conditions in the territory, leaving lawmakers without the formal review they had sought.

How Embassy Reporting Became a Point of Contention

Milstein, 36, is described as one of the most senior figures at the embassy, acting as a chief-of-staff-style adviser to Huckabee and overseeing substantial parts of the mission's work, particularly concerning the West Bank and Gaza. Officials said he began insisting on reviewing communications from the embassy section responsible for Palestinian affairs. They said the flow of cables fell from several a week to only a few a month, with some staff becoming reluctant to write reports they feared could be blocked or substantially rewritten.

That creates a potentially important policy bottleneck. Embassy cables are intended to give officials in Washington detailed information from the field, meaning changes to what is transmitted can affect how senior policymakers assess developments overseas.

Nine American Deaths Put Accountability Under Pressure

The dispute is particularly sensitive because of the deaths of nine American citizens in the West Bank since 2022. One of the latest cases involved Nasrallah Abu Siyam, a 19-year-old US citizen of Palestinian heritage who was killed in February 2026 while trying to stop settlers from taking livestock, according to the reporting. Embassy staff subsequently prepared a report detailing the status of investigations into the deaths. Officials said it found little progress in most cases, with some investigations closed and no charges filed.

Rather than forwarding that detailed assessment, Milstein was accused of arguing for a response saying Israel was properly handling the investigations. A State Department letter ultimately told Senator Chris Van Hollen that the embassy was working with Israel to 'ensure accountability for these deaths.' The Senate later rejected Van Hollen's resolution by 47-51, which would have required a State Department report on the killings and broader human rights conditions in the West Bank.

Settlement Expansion Added Another Policy Test

The alleged intervention also extends to Israeli settlements, an issue that has become increasingly difficult for the Trump administration to navigate. In late March, Israel approved a major expansion of settlements in the West Bank. Embassy staff reportedly viewed the move as potentially conflicting with Trump's stated opposition to annexation and prepared an urgent report for Washington. Officials said Milstein stopped the report from reaching policymakers.

Reuters had previously reported another episode involving Milstein in September, when US officials drafted a statement condemning Britain, France, and Canada's measures against Israeli settlement imports. The statement, which was attributed to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, was never released. The episode highlights the potential policy consequences of internal disagreements over how Washington should respond to settlement expansion, particularly as international pressure on Israel grows.

Huckabee Rejects Claims About His Senior Aide

It remains unclear how much Huckabee knew about the alleged interventions. Officials said the ambassador normally signs off on significant cables and decisions, while also alleging that Milstein sometimes acted independently. They said Huckabee had intervened in some cases when he believed his aide had gone too far.

Huckabee has categorically rejected the allegations, saying the claims are so lacking in fact that they amount to a 'farcical' account. The State Department said its team remains focused on advancing Trump's 'America First' agenda.

The allegations therefore remain disputed. But the issue reaches beyond one embassy official: if diplomatic reporting is being significantly filtered before reaching Washington, the controversy raises questions about how accurately US policymakers are being briefed on American deaths, settlement expansion, and violence in the West Bank.