Can torture in US and Israeli-run prisons be chalked up to a few 'bad apples', as some officials claim? Studies have shown some instances of abuse were not only tolerated but tacitly endorsed.

Al Majalla reveals the covert talks over several years between the representatives of a reluctant Syrian president and successive White House administrations hoping find a missing American.

Given Trump's agnostic approach to foreign policy and desire to seal deals, the Israeli premier may have to show more flexibility on key regional issues

The UK, France and Canada issue their toughest warning yet to Israel, with the UK suspending trade talks. Meanwhile, the UN warns 14,000 babies could die if aid is not let in.

Trump's decision to reverse decades of US policy on Syria within just a few hours in Riyadh reflects the weight of influence that Middle Eastern leaders can have on Trump's decision-making process

These days, Cairo looks more to Beijing and Moscow than to Washington, a policy change with its roots in the toppling of Hosni Mubarak more than a decade ago.

Trump's announcement and Rubio's subsequent statement offered no clear roadmap for unwinding Syria sanctions layered under multiple authorities

Although he once deemed Syria unimportant, Trump now seems to realise how key it is to Arab states, whose cooperation he greatly values

On 18 May 1965, Eliyahu Cohen, an Egyptian Jew born in Alexandria, was hanged for espionage in Damascus after posing as a Muslim Arab merchant from Argentina