I keep posting that I would vote for Boss Tweed over George W. Bush. There's some method in this madness. The man whose name was synonymous with corruption was also a great friend to New York's working poor. He knew which side his bread was buttered on.
They held Tweed in high regard, turning out in droves for his funeral. He may have been a crook, but he was THEIR crook.
I think the same may be said for Arafat. He's their crook. Dishonest officials are not unknown in the mid east. The Ottoman Empire was notoriously corrupt. The Palestinians see Arafat as the man who can best look after their interests. So they don't care if he's not honest.