PALESTINE – The Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has returned home to a hero’s welcome after winning a resounding endorsement for Palestinian independence at the United Nations.

Some 5,000 people thronged a square Sunday outside Abbas’ government headquarters in the West Bank. Many hoisted Palestinian flags and balloons in the colours of the flag.

Abbas told the crowd that “we now have a state” and that “the world has said loudly, ‘yes to the state of Palestine.”’

The U.N. decision to recognize Palestine as a nonmember observer state does not change the situation on the ground.

The Palestinians believe the strong endorsement will boost their leverage in future peace talks.