Jesus was a Semite. Hebrews and the Arabic forbearers were both Semitic tribes. Jews and Arabs are of the same branch on the human family tree. Technically Bethlehem was in Judea, one of two seperate Hebrew nations (Israel was up north). At the time of his birth it was a tribute-paying province of the Roman Empire which had enough minor autonomy to have a king, Herod. There was no Arab state to speak of.