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JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israeli police have placed under house arrest a teenage computer hacker who claims to have broken into the Pentagon's computer network.

Israel Television reported that the 18-year-old youth, who identifies himself as "the Analyzer," told police that he had wanted to show the security holes in the Pentagon system. Two other Israeli youths alleged to be his accomplices were also placed under house arrest.

"The Analyzer," has said he tutored two Sonoma County teens prior to their hacking into the Pentagon's and various university computers recently.

He is wanted by the FBI, which has already interrogated the Sonoma County hackers.

Reform Jew 1st to join Israel religious council

JERUSALEM (JPS) — Tuesday night, for the first time in Israel's history, a representative of the Reform movement took part in the meeting of a local religious council.

The Reform representative, Dr. Joyce Brenner, had been nominated by the Meretz faction in the Netanya Municipality. All of the council's other members are Orthodox men.

Shosh Arar, Meretz chairperson in Netanya, said that 16 out of the 27 council members representing all of the factions in the municipality had taken part in the meeting, which passed without incident.

Meretz Knesset member Amnon Rubinstein praised Dombrovitch and the other council members, and said he hopes Brenner's acceptance by the council would open a new chapter in the relations among Orthodox, Conservative and Reform Jews here, Itim reported.

Officials deny Mossad bungled London plot

JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israeli defense officials rejected as "nonsense" a recent British newspaper report that Mossad agents were involved in another attempted bugging operation of an Islamic militant, this time in London.

The Sunday Times of London reported that the incident occurred before Mossad agents were caught while attempting to wiretap an apartment last month in Switzerland. The newspaper said the agents in London fled to Israel after failing to carry out their mission.

Judge says pork ban kosher in Ashkelon

JERUSALEM (JTA) — An Israeli court has ruled that shops cannot sell pork because Jews hate pigs.

"Over the course of history, pork has become a symbol of national repugnance for the Jewish people," an Israeli magistrates court judge wrote in the ruling, which upheld a ban on selling pork in Ashkelon.

His decision made some 16 shops in the city guilty of violating a municipal bylaw barring the sale of pork. All stores that sell pork in the city would now be criminally liable.

The Israeli daily Ha'aretz reported Wednesday that the municipality has been fighting a battle for the past four years against the businesses in an attempt to enforce a 1956 city statute restricting the sale of pork.

Defense lawyer Alexander Shmerling said he would appeal.

Snowstorm dumps 4 inches on Jerusalem

JERUSALEM (JTA) — Parts of Israel became a winter wonderland this week.

A snowstorm shut down Jerusalem and other parts of the country for several hours Wednesday, just two days after a sandstorm from North Africa blew up yellow dust all around the country.

Meteorologists said some 4 inches of snow fell on Jerusalem in eight hours, temporarily closing schools and businesses. While snow usually falls every winter in Jerusalem, it rarely accumulates.

Snow also fell in northern Israel, as well as in Jordan and Lebanon.