'Not as bad as it sounds': Former attaché downplays UK-led settlement boycott impact

Former economic attaché to the UK, Shmuel Ben-Tovim, stated on Wednesday that the economic impact of sanctions announced by 12 European countries against West Bank settlements is "not as bad as it sounds." Speaking on 103FM, Ben-Tovim estimated that products directly from settlements account for "maybe tens of millions of dollars" and noted that the announced measures require legislation, which could take months. He supported Israel's retaliatory actions, including closing the British Consulate in Jerusalem, and highlighted Israel's economic leverage, particularly in defense, against the UK. Ben-Tovim's comments followed British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband's announcement of an import ban on goods from settlements and sanctions against individuals and businesses involved in settlement expansion.