Full Breakdown
UK Judge Orders ICJ Palestine to Pay £82,130 Legal Costs to Dual-National Soldier
7/16/2026, 11:33:56 AM
Court Decision and Rationale
On 19 June, Senior District Judge Paul Goldspring of Westminster Magistrates’ Court dismissed the International Court of Justice Palestine’s (ICJP) private prosecution of “Soldier A,” a British-Israeli dual national, for an alleged breach of the United Kingdom’s Foreign Enlistment Act 1870. Goldspring described the prosecution as “egregious” and “fundamentally misconceived in law,” noting that the Act does not apply to dual nationals. Because the ICJP’s filing “seriously failed in its duty to be honest and open with the court,” the judge ordered the organization to pay Soldier A’s legal costs on an indemnity basis, totaling £82,130, deeming the sum “entirely reasonable and proportionate given the complexity of the response forced upon Soldier A.”
Reactions from the Parties
Goldspring required the ICJP to apologise for “systemic failures of candor” and to attach an unabridged copy of both the cost ruling and the original judgment to any future English-or-Welsh filing. The ICJP objected to Goldspring’s earlier 8 April request that such an attachment be mandatory, reframing it as an “explicit expectation rather than a mandatory request.” Soldier A hailed the outcome as a “massive win,” emphasizing the financial award and the judge’s expectation that future ICJP litigation include the cost order.
Criticism of the Private Prosecution
The judge’s opinion framed the case as an attempt at “lawfare” rather than a genuine pursuit of justice. By labeling the ICJP’s conduct as lacking candor, Goldspring signalled that the prosecution was driven by political motives rather than legal merit. The ICJP’s pushback centered on procedural concerns, arguing that the judge overstepped by imposing future-filing requirements.
Verbatim Quotes
- “egregious” — Judge Paul Goldspring
- “fundamentally misconceived in law,” — Judge Paul Goldspring
- “entirely reasonable and proportionate given the complexity of the response forced upon Soldier A.” — Judge Paul Goldspring
- “It really shows that justice can prevail and that this judge saw through the lies and the games, the political meddling that was trying to be done here.” — Soldier A
- “good, honest job of looking at this case on its merits” — Soldier A
Outlook
Goldspring concluded he lacks authority to issue a binding injunction over future ICJP filings, limiting the court’s directive to an expectation. The ICJP must now incorporate the cost order in any subsequent applications, and the case may set a precedent for how private prosecutions under the Foreign Enlistment Act are evaluated in the United Kingdom.
