Biodiversity in Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip with the Gaza Strip, Israel, and the West Bank are located at the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea, traditionally called the Levant. Israel is bounded on the north by Lebanon and on the northeast by Syria. Jordan lies to the east and southeast of the West Bank and Israel; Israel and the Gaza Strip are bordered on the southwest by the Egyptian Sinai Peninsula and on the west by the Mediterranean Sea. The region is divided into three major climate zones: Alongside the major three, one microclimate zone are present: The climate is determined by the location between the
Israel–Lebanon relations 425 on Lebanon) and the concept of "land for peace." Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, and representatives of the Palestinians continued negotiating until the Oslo interim peace accords were concluded between Israel and the Palestinians in September 1993 and Jordan and Israel signed an agreement in October 1994. In March 1996, Syria and Israel held another round of Madrid talks; the Lebanon track did not reconvene. During this time Israel continued to militarily occupy 10% of Lebanese land, in a southern strip called the "South Lebanon Security Belt". In response, the militant Shia group Hezbollah formed with Syrian and Iranian backing. They