Israeli legislators pass budget in a move that shores up Netanyahu's government

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israel’s parliament on Tuesday passed a state budget, a move that shores up Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s governing coalition even as the embattled leader faces mounting public pressure over the war in Gaza and the hostage crisis.

The budget vote was seen as a key test for Netanyahu’s coalition, which is made up of ultranationalist and ultra-Orthodox parties that had demanded and largely received hefty allocations for their constituents in exchange for supporting the funding package.

Failure to pass a budget by March 31 would have triggered early elections, potentially threatening Netanyahu's nearly unbroken 15-year rule.

Critics say the budget lacks much needed wartime funding for secular education, health and welfare. They accuse Netanyahu of channeling funding to his political allies to ensure his survival rather than thinking of the country’s best interests.

“The greatest theft in the country’s history officially begins,” opposition leader Yair Lapid said Monday, ahead of an hours-long, marathon debate in parliament on the budget. He said the middle class, including many reservists who have been fighting in Gaza, was being trampled for the sake of the coalition’s survival.

Israel's far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a key Netanyahu ally, said the budget had “everything needed to win on the front and at home.”

With its passing, Netanyahu's government is more likely to survive to the end of its term in October 2026, a rarity in Israel's fractious politics. It’s a political win for Netanyahu, who faces mass protests over his decision to resume the war in Gaza while hostages are still held by Hamas, and over his government’s recent moves to fire top legal and security chiefs.

In theory, Netanyahu now has more freedom to negotiate a lasting ceasefire with Hamas in the Gaza Strip. His allies, who want to continue the war, have little incentive to trigger new elections while their polling numbers are down, said Gayil Talshir, a political scientist at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

But she expects Netanyahu to stick with his coalition partners and further their ultranationalist agenda to galvanize the right ahead of any future vote.

“Netanyahu is always thinking about the next elections,” Talshir said. “His goal is to make sure the extreme right will be in his government now and in the future.”

Netanyahu, who is on trial for alleged corruption, faces mass protests in Israel over his return to war, with 59 captives, 24 of whom are said to be alive, still in Gaza.

Demonstrators are also angry over Netanyahu’s firing of the head of the internal Shin Bet security agency and his government’s push to fire the attorney general. Both moves are seen by opponents as part of the government’s attempt to undermine state institutions and as part of Netanyahu’s crusade against a “deep state” that he says is out to get him.

Ahead of the budget vote, anti-government protests erupted outside the Knesset and police scuffled with demonstrators who blocked the entrances to the parliament.

Follow AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

Police officers remove people as they block a road for the Israeli parliament during an anti-government protest after the Israeli cabinet passed a no-confidence vote against the country's attorney general, taking a first step toward her dismissal, in Jerusalem, Tuesday, March 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

Israeli servicemen remove people as they block a road for the Israeli parliament during an anti-government protest after the Israeli cabinet passed a no-confidence vote against the country's attorney general, taking a first step toward her dismissal, in Jerusalem, Tuesday, March 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

Israeli police officers disperse demonstrators as they block a road leading to the Israeli parliament during an anti-government protest ahead of a key vote on the state budget in Jerusalem, Tuesday, March 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

Israeli police officers disperse demonstrators as they block a road leading to the Israeli parliament during an anti-government protest ahead of a key vote on the state budget in Jerusalem, Tuesday, March 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

In this image made from a video released by the Israeli Government Press Office, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gives a statement Tuesday, March 18, 2025, in Tel Aviv, Israel. (Israeli Government Press Office via AP)

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (AP) — Costa Rican authorities announced Tuesday that they will continue to investigate the cause of death of the teenage son of former Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner as they ruled out asphyxiation as the reason.

The 14-year-old Miller Gardner died Friday while staying with his family at a hotel on the Manuel Antonio beach in Costa Rica’s Central Pacific.

Costa Rica’s Judicial Investigation Agency told The Associated Press that on Thursday evening, members of the Gardner family went to dinner outside the hotel and began feeling ill upon returning.

They initially received treatment from the hotel doctor.

“The following morning, a family member found the child with no vital signs and alerted authorities,” the judicial police said.

The judicial agency explained that asphyxiation was initially considered as the cause of death, but after an autopsy performed by the Forensic Pathology Section, that theory was ruled out.

“No abnormalities were found in the respiratory tract, so samples were sent for histological, toxicological, and neuropathological analysis to the OIJ forensic laboratories, in addition to a study at the Costa Rican Institute for Research and Teaching in Nutrition and Health (INCIENSA) at the University of Costa Rica (UCR),” the report states.

The Judicial Investigation Agency stated that the death remains under investigation and its conclusions could take two to three months.

Brett Gardner, 41, was drafted by the Yankees in 2005 and spent his entire big league career with the organization. The speedy outfielder batted .256 with 139 homers, 578 RBIs, 274 steals and 73 triples in 14 seasons from 2008-2021.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

FILE - New York Yankees' Brett Gardner walks off the field after being defeated by the Tampa Bay Rays in a baseball game on Saturday, Oct. 2, 2021, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger, File)