First Israeli baby born in Dubai since ties with UAE formed

Mia Sztulman Starosta Lembert, daughter of Israel's Consul-General to Dubai Ilan Sztulman Starosta, is the first Israeli born in Dubai since the signing of the Abraham Accords.

Aerial view of the Sheikh Zayed Road, following the outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, March 26, 2020. (photo credit: REUTERS/SATISH KUMAR)
Aerial view of the Sheikh Zayed Road, following the outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, March 26, 2020.
(photo credit: REUTERS/SATISH KUMAR)

Mia Sztulman Starosta Lembert is the first Israeli to be born in Dubai since the establishment of Israel-UAE ties, the Emirati daily Khaleej Times reported Sunday.

The news was announced on the social media platform LinkedIn by Mia's father, Israel's Consul-General to Dubai Ilan Sztulman Starosta, and comes just days after Israel and the UAE celebrated the anniversary of their official formation of diplomatic relations in the Abraham Accords.

"Welcome to this world, Mia Sztulman Starosta Lembert, our new loved (already!!) daughter," Starosta wrote. "Born yesterday afternoon in the beautiful city of Dubai - United Arab Emirates. The first Israeli baby born in the country since the Abraham accords. What an honor!!"

Mia is not the first Jew to be born in Dubai, Starosta noted in an interview with the Khaleej Times, but she is the first child of an Israeli diplomat.

Her birth also comes after the official Israeli Consulate to Dubai was inaugurated by Foreign Minister Yair Lapid in late June.

The consulate, Lapid said at the time, is a place “of dialogue between two talented peoples who can and who want to contribute to one another... A place that symbolizes our ability to think together, to develop together, to change the world together.

“We don’t accept reality, we create reality. Our two nations created the incredible.”

Lahav Harkov contributed to this report.