It’s now used more as a racial description, however the term originated in the 18th century pertaining to languages of the region, ranging from Syria to Ethiopia. There are certainly racial similarities given the fact that you’re looking at a relatively small area, though Ethopian speakers of the two languages I cited as more widely used than Hebrew look quite different than Israelis. And Arabs would probably disown them both.
That’s really interesting, more complex than I thought.
Although as you say, given the proximity & small area, not surprised by the mixture & due to conquests over the centuries.
I would’ve classified Ethopians originally as Black-Africans than Arabs or Hebrew. Certainly, there would be differences in features regardless of skin color (pigmentation).