Colombian President Gustavo Petro alleged on Monday that only Israel has the capability to hack election software and alter voting data, claiming evidence of IP-address manipulation on national registry servers. The allegation, reported by Asaf Rozentzweig (N12), follows Petro's refusal to recognize Sunday's election result and comes as right-wing candidate Abelardo de la Espriella maintains a lead. No proof has been provided.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro formally alleged on Monday that Israel hacked election servers, citing IP-address manipulation on national registry servers as evidence, according to Asaf Rozentzweig (N12). The claim, which Petro presented as a technical basis for his refusal to accept Sunday's election result, escalates his earlier unspecific accusations. It came as right-wing candidate Abelardo de la Espriella maintained a lead in the count, with Petro stating he cannot declare a winner and deferring to the courts.
Petro's Monday allegations have evolved over the course of the day. At 03:48 Jerusalem, The Zioneer reported that Petro first refused to recognize the results and suggested Israeli interference, without evidence. By 07:15 Jerusalem, The Zioneer had published Petro's claim that the interference was intended to boost the right-wing candidate, again without specifics. The current accusation — citing IP-address changes on national civil registry servers — marks the first time Petro has offered a purported technical ground for his conspiracy theory. No independent verification or official Israeli response has been reported.
Petro's anti-Israel rhetoric is longstanding. As The Zioneer reported on June 10, he compared Israel to the Nazis, and on June 11 Israeli officials condemned him after he posted 'Heil Hitler' on social media. The Colombian congressional disciplinary committee suspended him on June 10 pending an election-interference probe. Meanwhile, de la Espriella — who pledged to move Colombia's embassy to Jerusalem and restore ties severed under Petro — won the election, as The Zioneer reported at 07:28 Jerusalem.
What remains open: Petro has provided no verifiable evidence for his IP-address claim. The allegation has not been substantiated by electoral authorities, independent experts, or Colombian courts. The sequence of events — a refusal to accept results, followed by escalating but unverified accusations — leaves the factual basis for the claim entirely unestablished.
6 developments
- DevelopingPro-Israel candidate Abelardo de la Espriella wins Colombia presidency, pledges Jerusalem embassy move
- StrongIsrael's Foreign Ministry hails Colombia's de la Espriella win as 'strategic shift'
- DevelopingFormer Colombian President Gaviria endorses de la Espriella, voices trust he will uphold the 1991 constitution
- DevelopingColombia's congressional disciplinary committee suspends President Petro pending election-interference probe
Source and signal
- Internal intake