Hamat Leaves Turkey as Israeli Corporate Presence Shrinks Further
Hamat’s board decided last week to shut down its Turkish subsidiary MCP in Izmir, after difficulties selling products in Turkey and in markets outside Israel. The unit had handled production of ceramic sanitary ware, and its closure is another step in a wider, gradual retreat of Israeli business activity from Turkey.
The move comes against the backdrop of worsening Israeli-Turkish relations and Turkey’s tightening anti-Israel policy. INSS senior researcher Dr. Galia Lindo-…? said that unlike imports from Turkey, which still continue in limited volumes through third countries, Israeli exports to Turkey have stopped entirely, adding that Israeli companies operating there are also struggling, as shown by Hamat’s exit.
Turkey’s trade figures with Israel collapsed in 2025. Israeli imports from Turkey fell to $924.1 million from about $2 billion in 2024, while exports to Turkey dropped from about $598.6 million to just $10.9 million. The article links the decline to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s May 2024 decision to impose a total trade embargo on Israel, a first in bilateral relations.
Despite that, a few Israeli-linked companies still operate in Turkey. Netafim continues to manufacture and sell irrigation products for the local market, with its main Turkish plant in Adana and ownership split between Mexico’s Orbia, with 80%, and Kibbutz Hatzerim, with 20%. Teva runs a commercial hub in Istanbul and cooperates with local groups to improve access to healthcare. ICL maintains industrial activity through its Bandirma plant, which produces calcium phosphate and industrial cleaning materials.
The article notes that former Israeli Turkish exposure has largely disappeared from other sectors too, including textiles, where only one Delta Galil sock factory remains. It also says Turkish anti-Israel pressure has affected larger companies such as Zim, whose ships were blocked in August last year after protests and sabotage attempts at Turkish ports, and Azerbaijan’s SOCAR, which faced demonstrations over oil flows to Israel. A senior Israeli business figure said some Turkish contacts still want to reduce tensions, but that there will be no real change without a different political line from Ankara and, possibly, new leadership in Israel.
