Arafat didn't fail his people because his only "people" was himself. And he was quite successful because he managed to do truly amazing things - reform his image from world-renowned terrorist to nobel peace prize winning statesman, convince administrations of a couple dozen countries to give him billions that he could squirrel away in Swiss bank accounts, preside over one of the most corrupt governments known to man and successfully play the victim in the face of Israeli "oppression," all the while continuing to cultivate an entire culture of violence and evil.
Sure, he never actually got around to utter destruction of Israel, which of course God would never allow, but no matter. He probably loved his wallet more than he hated the Jews anyway.
I'm not sure which is more despicable - Arafat or the media that recreated him.