HIGHLIGHTS: Bombing Israeli Civilians Controversial & Divisive||Elections on All PA Levels Promised||Bush Praised for Being First American President to Openly Speak of the Creation of A Palestinian State||Arafat Rejects Accusations Camp David Was a Missed Opportunity||STORY: Addressing his people on Nakbah Day (Catastrophe Day), the day the state of Israel was created in 1948, leading to the displacement of 700,000 Palestinians, Palestinian President, Yasser Arafat Wednesday called on the Plaestinian legislative Council to join him in condemning Resistance bombings targeting Israeli civilians describing them as controversial and divisive. He also said he accepts full responsibility for the much criticized recent agreements he recently signed with Israel on ending the Israeli siege at his Headquarters in Ramallah and at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. (Read photo caption)

On reforming the Palestinian National Authority, apparently now a national as well as an international demand, Arafat said a lot has to be done in this regard to steer what he called the right course towards Palestinian national long term aspirations and immediate political objectives. The president called for a comprehensive and thorough programme to revise all National Authority Institutions both on the administrative and ministerial levels adding that it was now evident that there were serious flaws in the way these institutions performed in the past.

Calling for a wide ranging national dilogue, Arafat added that elections would be held on all levels of the Palestinian National Authority starting where it's immediately viable and possible.

Stressing his determination to maintain a course of a diplomatic resolution to the Palestinian question, Arafat praised US president George W Bush saying that he is the first American President to openly speak about the creation of a Palestinian state during his recent speech at the UN General Assembly.

He also attacked the commonly held view both in the United States and Israel as well as in other world capitals that he has failed his people by refusing the camp David Deal offered to him by former Israeli Prime Minister, Ehuda Barak during the closing days of the Clinton presidency. In this respect the president cited the progress achieved at follow up talks after Camp David in Paris in France and at Sharm Al-Sheikh in Egypt.

Arafat also called on his people not to allow themselves to be frustrated by Israel's on-going policy aimed at denying them their inalienable rights in an Independent state with Jerusalem as its capital.

Israel's attempts to do that he said have proven to be worthless and a waste of time.

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Arafat's address came on the anniversary of the founding of Israel -- May 15, 1948. Palestinians uprooted on that day call it the day of "catastrophe."