A top aide at the U.S. embassy in Israel is accused of rewriting and burying diplomatic reports to shield Israel, which is bad news for American oversight of a close ally.

• David Milstein, senior adviser to Ambassador Mike Huckabee, reportedly blocked, rewrote, or delayed embassy cables that reflected poorly on Israel.
• One suppressed report covered the killings of nine Palestinian Americans by Israeli settlers and soldiers, blunting congressional efforts to get answers.
• A warning that aid distribution in Gaza was chaotic and deadly was reportedly rewritten to call the operation a success.
• Staff cut back on writing reports altogether out of fear they would be killed or flipped, and the flow of cables dropped sharply.
• Milstein remains in his post with no consequences, and the framing that Huckabee reined him in looks thin given his own record.

Outlook: Expect pressure for a firing or an investigation, but little chance of actual charges or accountability in the near term.