Before a final tally of votes had been counted in all the states, it was obvious that Democratic Senator Barack Obama had swept the United States to make history as America's first black president.
The importance of the moment was not lost on world leaders, who offered their congratulations from around the planet.
But Palestinian Authority Chairman and Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) had America's foreign policy on his mind, saying he hoped Sen. Obama would make more headway in pressuring Israel into concessions to the PA than his predecessor, George W. Bush.
"We expect change and we hope that that will bring peace for us," Abbas said.
The Hamas terrorist organization that controls Gaza also issued a statement, warning the new president to avoid repeating the policies of the Bush administration.
The group made it clear that its attitude of belligerence toward the United States was unlikely to change, urging Obama to "learn from the mistakes of previous U.S. administrations, and particularly the one headed by George W. Bush, towards the Arab world."