World Bulletin / News Desk

South Africa's last apartheid president and Nobel Prize winner F.W. de Klerk warned Israel that it could be heading towards a similar fate to pre-1993 South Africa if a peace deal is not agreed with the Palestinians.

Reiterating a warning by U.S. Secretary of State and chief mediator in the Palestinian-Israeli talks, John Kerry, de Klerk told Israeli Channel 2 TV: "There will come in Israel a turning point where if the main obstacles at the moment which exist to a successful two-state solution are not removed, the two-state solution will become impossible."

While the Palestinians demand all Israeli occupying troops pull out of the West Bank back to their pre-1967 borders, as well as the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem as a capital, Israel is continuing to strengthen its grip on East Jerusalem and the West Bank. The blockade on Gaza also continues.

Talks between Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli officials hit a snag when Israel failed to uphold its part of a deal of a prisoner release agreement. Talks hit a further snag when Abbas's Fatah party announced a reconciliation with the ruling party of Gaza, Hamas, which Israel considers a 'terrorist' group. Abbas however insister that the reconciliation should not affect the talks.

Promoting the establishment of a Palestinian state, de Klerk said: "The two-state solution might be the best one," fearing that a one-state solution mat naturally develop into a situation in which the Palestinians will be denied their rights.

Mohammed Madani, a senior Palestinian official in charge of outreach to Israeli society, was quoted by Haaretz saying that Israel should take note of de Klerk's words.

"When the leader of the former apartheid regime in South Africa warns Israel of going down the road to this style, it should listen to him carefully because he knows what he is talking about," he said.