The Temple Mount in Jerusalem.

Israeli police would have arrested a little Jewish boy who ritually laid down on the Temple Mount on the eve of the Shavuot holiday – had his lawyer mom not angrily intervened as he was being led off to the station house.

In the altercation, the nine-year-old resident of the northern Samaria community of Karnei Shomron, repeatedly prostrated himself on the stones despite police warnings not to behave in an openly religiously symbolic manner, according to Israeli daily Ma’ariv.

The incident was caught on film by one of the over-100-person entourage, led by former rightist Knesset member Michael Ben-Ari. In the footage the child is seen being led away by a police officer, until the mother catches up with the two.

Addressing the officer and referring to his superior officer, “Moti,” she says, “He told me the child prostrated himself. That’s not okay, he transgressed the rules that Moti told him. That’s not okay according to your rules, but I wanted to know what they’re arresting him for.”

“So that there won’t be a problem I presented myself as a lawyer, because as a mother apparently I don’t have any rights here regarding the ‘rules.’ But as a lawyer I have (rights) if he arrests him.”

“We’re not arresting anyone,” the officer responds.

The child was allowed to return to his mother, and the group left the compound without incident.

The police went “from threats to stuttering,” Ben-Ari boasted in comments later posted to his Facebook page.

“Suddenly the mother appeared and let the surprised officer know she is a lawyer, asking to clarify by what pretext he was kidnapping the nine-year-old child. The officer realized it wasn’t worth it to mess with her,” Ben-Ari said.

According to highly disputed ad hoc conventions between the police and the Muslim Waqf Trust which oversees the site, visiting Jews are not allowed to be seen moving their lips in prayer, tearing their garments in ritual mourning, prostrating on the ground, or displaying any overt Jewish rituals.

The rules are purportedly imposed in order not to raise the ire of Muslims at the site. However, Jews and Israelis who ascend to the sacred site charge that they are capriciously enforced to the detriment of the Jews, and that in many cases Muslims continue to harass non-Muslim visitors and often riot.

In the Second Temple era, Jews would offer sacrifices during the Shavuot holiday, which celebrates the giving of the Torah at Mt. Sinai.

View the video clip of the incident here: