United Nations upgrades status of Palestine

NBC News — Even after celebrating long into the early hours, Palestinians remained jubilant friday morning following the U.N. General Assembly's overwhelming approval for the de facto recognition of the sovereign state of Palestine. As Ramallah residents ventured onto the streets, posters attached to railings and the front pages of newspapers were all that could be seen from the overnight celebrations.

The U.N. victory for the Palestinians was a diplomatic setback for the United States and Israel, which were joined by only a handful of other countries in voting against the move to upgrade the Palestinian authority's observer status at the United Nations to "non-member state" from "entity." Other U.N. nonmember states include the Vatican.