U.N. leader warns Israel and Palestine are reaching 'point of no return' for 2-state solution

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon issued a stern warning to Israel and Palestine in a New York Times op-ed published Sunday.

"The time has come for Israelis, Palestinians, and the international community to read the writing on the wall: The status quo is untenable," he wrote. "Keeping another people under indefinite occupation undermines the security and the future of both Israelis and Palestinians."

The op-ed comes after Ban's spat with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who recently accused the U.N. chief of "encouraging terror" in describing Palestinians' reaction to occupation as "human nature." Ban, who is set to step down from from his post as secretary general at the end of 2016, stressed his support for both sides in the longstanding conflict.

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"I will always stand up to those who challenge Israel's right to exist, just as I will always defend the right of Palestinians to have a state of their own," he wrote. "That is why I am so concerned that we are reaching a point of no return for the two-state solution. And I am disturbed by statements from senior members of Israel’s government that the aim should be abandoned altogether."