Bar-Ilan for causing death by negligence and for building without proper permits. Citing the pending indictment, Eyal resigned from the MWU. On March 15, 1998, in Tel Aviv Magistrate Court all five pleaded not guilty. Final arguments in the trial were presented in October 1999. During the trial, Sheba Hospital microbiologist Doctor Natan Keller testified that normally the Yarkon River water would not have posed a hazard to humans. Keller stated that it was the collapse of the bridge and the thrashing of the people in the water which had agitated the fungus from the river bottom where it normally resided, supporting the prosecution's argument that the pollution in the river would not have posed a risk to the athletes if the bridge had not collapsed. The defense, in turn, argued that the police should have shared responsibility in the collapse, as they had approved the building permit, were charged with limiting the number of people on the bridge to 150 at one time, and had possibly driven a police vehicle across the bridge the day before the opening ceremony. On the 17th of April 2000, the three-judge panel of the court found all five defendants guilty of causing death by negligence. The defendants were sentenced on the 5th of June, 2000. Bar-Ilan was sentenced to one year and nine months in prison, plus a suspended sentence of 21 months. Ben-Ezra and Karagula were given 15-months in prison, plus suspended sentences of two years. Mishori served nine months in prison, plus a suspended sentence of 15 months. Eyal was sentenced to six months' community service. Lawsuits The families of the athletes who were killed, plus Sasha Elterman and 50 others injured in the collapse, sued MWU for damages in 1999. Progress in the lawsuits was initially delayed by a dispute among the parties over who should bear liability, which was resolved by the criminal court convictions in 2000. Due to the ongoing litigation, plus security concerns from the Second Intifada, the Australians only sent 65 athletes to the 2001 Maccabiah games. The Haifa District Court eventually awarded the claimants almost $US20 million in compensation, with the last judgement and payment made in 2004. The court ruled that the games' insurance provider, Phoenix Insurance Company, was liable for about two-thirds of the amount, with the Israeli government responsible for the remainder. Environmental issues The bridge accident highlighted Israel's environmental issues, especially