The obituary in The New York Times says that Arafat “rejected crucial opportunities to achieve his declared goal.”

Not exactly. In English, at times, he gave the impression that his goal was a Palestinian state that would live in peace with Israel.

In Arabic, however, his declared goal was always the eradication of the Jewish state. He never rejected the opportunity to achieve that goal, because that goal was never quite at hand. But that was not for want of trying.