The High Court of Justice ruled Monday that the Peace Now organization could go ahead with a protest to set take place Tuesday next to the Jewish settlement in the West Bank city of Hebron.

The left-wing group petitioned the court after the request to hold the demonstration was turned down by then head of the Israel Defense Forces Central Command, Yair Naveh. The head of Peace Now, Yariv Oppenheimer, said it was regrettable that the court had to intervene to safeguard the freedom of expression.

The commander of Hebron Brigade, Colonel Yehuda Fuchs, told the court that the protest would lead to a breach of the peace by settlers, which could endanger the lives of demonstrators, local Palestinian residents, IDF soldiers and police.

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Judge Uzi Fogelman asked in response if it could be understood, therefore, that Fuchs would allow lawbreakers to prevent the demonstration from going ahead. Fuchs avoided answering the question.

Naveh had refused permission for the demonstration to take place inside the city, and proposed that the protest be held on a bypass road, where a similar demonstration took place in January.

At an earlier court hearing, the judges had instructed the two sides to reach an agreement on the location of the demonstration. After the initial hearing, the IDF had proposed that the demonstration take place on the outskirts of the city, an offer that was rejected by Peace Now.