US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo released the 2018 Human Rights Reports on Thursday. The report included a section on Israel, the Golan Heights, Judea and Samaria, and Gaza.
Notably, the report referred to the Golan Heights as "Israeli-controlled" instead of "Israeli-occupied," and drops the words "occupied" and "occupation" from everything related to Judea and Samaria and Gaza for the first time.
According to the report: "Israel’s democratic institutions remain strong, including a free press, independent judiciary, free and fair elections, and rule of law."
A US administration official told Arutz Sheva that "Our policy regarding the Golan Heights has not changed."
"We have used a different title in the Human Rights Report to refer to the familiar geographic terms of the area where the report was written," he said.
The report noted the violence and terrorist activity that have occurred during the riots along the Gaza border over the past year.
"Beginning on March 30, Israeli forces engaged in conflict with Palestinians at the Gaza fence, including armed terrorists, militants who launched incendiary devices into Israel, and unarmed protesters, reportedly leading to 190 Palestinian deaths by the end of the year.
"Other human rights issues included reports of unlawful or arbitrary killings, including rocket attacks from Gaza-based militants and terrorist attacks targeting Israelis that killed 16 people in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza; arbitrary detention of irregular migrants from January to April; unresolved issues of land and housing for Arab citizens, especially Bedouin Israelis; punitive demolitions of the homes of Palestinians following terrorist attacks by a family member on Israelis; excessive force by police in response to protests by certain groups; use of administrative (pre-crime or pre-indictment) detention against Palestinians whom the government deemed security risks; and restrictions on freedom of movement for Palestinians."
The report also noted the passage of the Nationality Law as well as a law fining employers of illegal immigrants.
The Palestinian Authority and Hamas also received attention for their human rights abuses in the report.
"In areas controlled by the Palestinian Authority, there were allegations of torture of political prisoners, restrictions on freedom of expression, including for members of the press, forced labor, and child labor.
"Human rights abuses under Hamas’ rule in Gaza reportedly included rocket and mortar attacks against civilian targets in Israel, unlawful and arbitrary killings, disappearances, torture, arbitrary and unlawful detention, including of political prisoners; restrictions on freedoms of expression, including for members of press, such as violence against journalists; and arbitrary interference with NGO operations and opposition political parties."