A federal judge in Manhattan ruled in favor of a pro-Israel advocacy group, giving them clearance to display controversial advertisements about Muslims killing Jews on New York City buses.

U.S. District Judge John Koeltl ruled on Tuesday that the ads, which were paid for by the American Freedom Defense Initiative, are protected under the First Amendment. Therefore, they can be displayed on public buses operated by New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA).

The ad shows a man with a scarf across his face next to the words, "Killing Jews is Worship that draws us close to Allah," attributed to "Hamas MTV." The advert also contains the lines: "That's his Jihad. What's yours?" reports the New York Times.

MTA refused to run the ads last year due to its controversial and sensational nature. As a result, the American Freedom Defense Initiative, which is known to publicly criticize Islam, filed a lawsuit against the authority in October, claiming it had infringed on their right to free speech by rejecting the ad.

The authority, however, argued that the ad could be seen as a call to violence against Jews and could incite violence and terrorism.

In his ruling, Judge Koeltl said the ad was protected under the U.S. constitution and that there was no evidence that the ads would stir up a violent reaction.

"The defendants underestimate the tolerant quality of New Yorkers and overestimate the potential impact of these fleeting advertisements," wrote the judge.

Koeltl also noted that the ad has already been displayed on public transport in Chicago and San Francisco without incident.

"It strains credulity to believe that New Yorkers would be incited to violence by ads that did not incite residents of Chicago and San Francisco," he said, according to BBC News.

Following the decision, MTA spokesman Adam Lisberg said they were "disappointed in the ruling and are reviewing our options".

On the other hand, Pamela Geller, the controversial blogger and activist who runs the American Freedom Defense Initiative, called the ruling a "triumph for liberty and truth."

The Southern Poverty Law Center lists the American Freedom Defense Initiative as an anti-Muslim group.