India, Oct. 28 -- Israel's election count has left the country facing uncertain coalition negotiations, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc leading but still short of the parliamentary majority required to form a government.

With 84.5% of ballot boxes counted by 12:34 pm on Wednesday, partial results from the Central Elections Committee put Netanyahu's bloc at 54 seats and the opposition bloc led by Gadi Eisenkot at 49. Arab-led parties held 17 seats, making their potential role in government formation a central issue. The figures remain provisional, with additional ballots still to be counted.

A party or bloc needs 61 seats in the 120-member Knesset to secure a majority. Neither side had reached that threshold in the partial ...