New Delhi, Oct. 12 -- Arab political parties could hold the key to government formation in Israel's upcoming elections, with opinion polls suggesting that neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc nor the Jewish opposition may secure the 61 seats needed for a parliamentary majority.

A poll of polls published by The Jerusalem Post puts the opposition alliance led by Gadi Eisenkot, Yair Lapid and Naftali Bennett level with Netanyahu's bloc at 54 seats each, while Arab parties are projected to win eight seats.

A separate survey by Israel's Channel 12 also projects 54 seats for the opposition bloc, 49 for Netanyahu's coalition and eight for Arab parties.

Meanwhile, a poll published by Maariv gives both Netanyahu's bloc and the Jewis...