"Merchants are allowed under the law to form buying groups right now, even without a settlement," said Douglas Kantor, a Washington lawyer who represents NACS, the convenience store trade association, which was a party to the lawsuit but rejected the settlement.
He told The Jerusalem Post this week that acting on settlements was "not an issue on the horizon right now".
The Security Council, with American leadership, could prescribe the central elements of a territorial settlement that the adversaries could be made to accept right now.
We don't know what will happen, or whether those talks will take place, but it is a sign that there may be some momentum towards a political settlement, however fragile and fleeting that sentiment may seem right now.
Still, a few informed & influential Arabs think there may right now be a real possibility for a settlement with Israel that will endure longer than the others.
And right now it is impossible to judge whether the settlement is fair.
"The government obviously has right now the interest to present itself as dismantling settlements.
But right now, the emphasis seems to be on forging a durable political settlement with the rebels.
And right now, the arguments that officials are reportedly making for a quick, bank-friendly settlement of the mortgage-abuse scandal don't make sense.
And the principle is still operating right now, as federal officials press state attorneys general to accept a very modest settlement from banks that engaged in abusive mortgage practices.
