Haim Eshed | |
|---|---|
חיים אשד | |
 Haim Eshed in January 2008 at the Fisher Institute for Air and Space Strategic Studies | |
| Born | 1933 (age 91–92) |
| Nationality | Israeli |
| Alma mater | Technion – Israel Institute of Technology |
| Occupations |
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| Organizations | |
| Awards | Israel Defense Prize (3) Chief of Staff Citation |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance |  Israel |
| Service |  Military Intelligence Directorate |
| Rank |  Brigadier General |
Haim Eshed alternativelyromanized asChaim Eshed (Hebrew:חיים אשד; born 1933)[1][2][3] is an Israelivisiting professor ofaeronautics andastronautics at variousspace technologyresearch institutions.[4][5][6][7] A retired brigadier general inIsraeli Military Intelligence, Eshed was director of space programs forIsrael Ministry of Defense for nearly 30 years, is formerchair of the Space Committee of the National Council for Research and Development for theMinistry of Science, Technology and Space and a member of the steering committee ofIsrael Space Agency.[8][9] Eshed is responsible for the launch of 20 Israeli made satellites,[10] and he is widely cited as the father of Israel's space program.[11]
In 1967, Eshed was awarded theChief of Staff Citation, the highest non-combat decoration awarded by theIDF. Throughout his career he also received theIsrael Defense Prize - the highest civilian defense honor of the State of Israel - three times, but the reasons remain classified.
Eshed served at the highly secretiveUnit 81, which provided technological solutions to the IDF's Military Intelligence Directorate.
In 2020, Eshed became notable for promoting aUFO conspiracy theory claiming that world governments were secretly working withaliens.[12][13][14]
Eshed holds a bachelor's degree inelectronics engineering fromTechnion - Israel Institute of Technology, as well as a master's and doctorate inaeronautical engineering.[15]
In 1979, as a colonel in Israel'sMilitary Intelligence Directorate, Eshed proposed the establishment of an independent satellite capability in order to collect intelligence from theSinai after the withdrawal of Israeli forces.[16]
He was space director during the 2007 launch of the spy satelliteOfek-7, which he said would help with "the Iranian issue".[17]
When he retired in 2011, he was described in Israeli media as the father of Israel's space capabilities programme.[18]
In December 2020, Eshed claimed in an interview with Israeli national newspaperYediot Aharonot that theUnited States government had been in contact withextraterrestrial life for years and had signed secret agreements with a "Galactic Federation" in order to perform experiments on Earth, and that there is a joint base underground on Mars where they collaborate with American astronauts.[19] He also stated that US presidentDonald Trump was aware of this and was "on the verge" of informing everyone of their existence, but was stopped by the "Galactic Federation", who wished to preventmass hysteria.[20]
The interview, inHebrew, gained traction after parts were published in English byThe Jerusalem Post.[21]UFO investigatorNick Pope toldNBC News that theufology community wanted to know whether Eshed's account isprimary orsecondary information:
"Either this is some sort of practical joke or publicity stunt to help sell his book, perhaps with something having been lost in translation, or someone in the know is breaking ranks."[22]
The book isThe Universe Beyond the Horizon: Conversations with Professor Haim Eshed written by authorHagar Yanai, published in November 2020. In the book, Eshed makes claims that include stories of how aliens prevented potential nuclear disasters, including an unspecified nuclear incident during theBay of Pigs Invasion.[23][24]
In 2020,Isaac Ben-Israel, then current chairman of theIsrael Space Agency, remarked toThe Times of Israel that although Eshed is the father of Israel's space capabilities, he went "too far" with his claims, and it is unlikely that human-alien encounters are occurring. He added that for decades Eshed fancied unconventional interpretations of incoherent space signals that most consider to be of natural origin.[18] In response to queries by NBC News, aNASA spokesperson reaffirmed that "we have yet to find signs of extraterrestrial life".[22]
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