Mer Group
Israeli homeland-security, surveillance, intelligence and communications group listed in Tel Aviv; built the Mabat 2000 camera network in occupied East Jerusalem's Old City and was run by a 22-year Unit 8200 veteran
| Mer Group
| |
|---|---|
| Trade name | C. Mer Industries Ltd (MER Group; Mer Security) |
| Logo |  MER Group logo |
| Type | Public company, Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (CMER) |
| Founded | 1948 (the company itself says it was established in the early 1980s) |
| Headquarters | 5 Yahadut Canada Street, Or Yehuda 6037505, Israel |
| Industry | Homeland security; surveillance; cyber and intelligence; communications infrastructure; defence |
| Services | Surveillance and "Safe City" systems; open-source intelligence software; military shelters and tactical communications; telecoms infrastructure |
| Number of employees | About 600 (company, 2026); 649 (StockAnalysis) |
| Homepage | mer-group.com |
Mer Group (C. Mer Industries Ltd, also known as MER Group; its security arm has traded as Mer Security) is an Israeli company, listed on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, that sells homeland-security, surveillance, "cyber and intelligence", military and telecommunications systems.[1] In 2016 The Intercept reported that its chief executive, Nir Lempert, was "a 22-year veteran of Unit 8200" (Unit 8200) and chairman of the unit's alumni association, that its chairman, Haim Mer, was also a Unit 8200 veteran, and that the company did "joint development" work with Unit 8200 and recruited its veterans.[2] Mer Security built the Israeli police's "Mabat 2000" surveillance-camera system in the Old City of Jerusalem, in occupied East Jerusalem.[2]
History
The Intercept and the financial data site StockAnalysis say Mer was founded in 1948, the year Israel was established, and The Intercept says it began as a metal workshop.[2][3] The company's own website says it was "Established in the early 1980's as a family business". It describes itself as "a world-leading solutions provider specializing in Homeland Security (HLS), Cyber and Intelligence, Communication Infrastructure and Tactical Communication Systems", including "developing tactical communications systems for armed forces worldwide", with about 600 employees and operations in Latin America, the United States, Africa, Europe, Asia and Israel.[1] StockAnalysis gives its headquarters as 5 Yahadut Canada Street, Or Yehuda 6037505, its chief executive as Avi Schechter and its staff as 649.[3] In 2016 The Intercept said it had a dozen subsidiaries and 1,200 employees in more than 40 countries.[2]
Surveillance and occupation
Mabat 2000
According to The Intercept, Mer Security won an Israeli police contract in 1999 to set up "Mabat 2000", which "set up hundreds of cameras in Jerusalem's Old City, a flashpoint of tensions in the occupied area". It quoted the chairman, Haim Mer, as telling the trade magazine Israel Gateway that "the police needed a system in which 'Big Brother' would control and would allow for an overall view of events in the Old City area".[2] The Old City lies in East Jerusalem, which Israel occupied in 1967.
Exports
The Intercept reported that at the June 2016 ISDEF expo, held to show Israeli technology to buyers from foreign security forces, Mer's representatives promoted only the surveillance products of its security division. Its product director, Eyal Raz, showed OSCAR (Open Source Collection Analysis and Response), which "trawls through the internet and social media platforms", and SAIP (Strategic Actionable Intelligence Platform), and described technology that lets profiles run by law enforcement "blend into social networks" so that they look authentic. The Intercept also reported that in 2011 Mer signed a $42 million contract with Buenos Aires for a "Safe City" system of 1,200 surveillance cameras, including licence-plate recognition.[2]
In August 2026, in a sponsored article in Israel Defense, Mer announced orders worth about NIS 30 million from the Israeli Ministry of Defense for "indoor communications systems and communications infrastructure for military applications", bringing its defence orders since the start of the third quarter to about NIS 62 million.[4] In November 2026, in another sponsored article in the same magazine, it announced contracts worth about €46 million with government bodies in an unnamed West African country, under which a subsidiary would deliver "a comprehensive technology package in intelligence and cyber, which includes upgrading existing intelligence arrays".[5]
Unit 8200 links
- Nir Lempert: chief executive in 2016, described by The Intercept as "a 22-year veteran of Unit 8200, the Israeli intelligence unit often compared to the National Security Agency, and ... chairman of the unit's alumni association" (Unit 8200; Intelligence Corps; 8200 Alumni Association).[2]
- Haim Mer: chairman of the board in 2016 and "also a Unit 8200 veteran", according to The Intercept.[2]
- Eyal Raz, Mer Security's product director, told The Intercept that the company does "joint development" work with Unit 8200 and recruits its veterans.[2]
| Name | Role | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Avi Schechter | Chief executive (2026) | [3][5] |
| Nir Lempert | Chief executive (2016) | [2] |
| Haim Mer | Chairman of the board (2016) | [2] |
| Eyal Raz | Product director, Mer Security (2016) | [2] |
See also
- Unit 8200
- 8200 Alumni Association
- Cyber and tech firms founded by ex Unit 8200 or occupation forces veterans
External links
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 MER Group, About MER Group, accessed 10 November 2026.
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 Alex Kane, How Israel Became a Hub for Surveillance Technology The Intercept, 17 October 2016, accessed 10 November 2026.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 StockAnalysis, C. Mer Industries (TLV:CMER) Company Profile & Description StockAnalysis, accessed 10 November 2026.
- ↑ Mandi Kogosowski, MER Group Secures NIS 30 Million in New Defense Orders Israel Defense, 16 August 2026, accessed 10 November 2026.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Ami Rojkes Dombe, Mer Group Secures €46 Million in West African Defense and Cyber Deals Israel Defense, 10 November 2026, accessed 10 November 2026.