Was abraham a semite, jew,hebrew or an isrealite

1) "it is widely admitted that there is no archaeological evidence to prove the existence of Abraham"
Source and further information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham#Dating_and_historicity


2) "The concept of "Semitic" peoples is derived from Biblical accounts of the origins of the cultures known to the ancient Hebrews. Those closest to them in culture and language were generally deemed to be descended from their forefather Shem. Enemies were often said to be descendants of his cursed nephew, Canaan. In Genesis 10:21-31, Shem is described as the father of Aram, Asshur, and Arpachshad: the Biblical ancestors of the Arabs, Aramaeans, Assyrians, Babylonians, Chaldeans, Sabaeans, and Hebrews, etc., all of whose languages are closely related; the language family containing them was therefore named Semitic by linguists. However, the Canaanites and Amorites also spoke a language belonging to this family, and are therefore also termed Semitic in linguistics, despite being described in Genesis as sons of Ham (See Sons of Noah). Shem is also described in Genesis as the father of Elam and Lud, although the Elamites and Lydians usually thought to descend from these spoke languages that were not Semitic."
Source and further information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semitic

In this sense, Abraham is supposed to have been a Semite.


3) "Hebrews (or Hebertes, Eberites, Hebreians; Hebrew: עברים or עבריים, Standard ʿIvrim, ʿIvriyyim Tiberian ʿIḇrîm, ʿIḇriyyîm, "traverse or pass over") are an ancient people defined as descendants of the prophet Eber, son of Shelah.

In the Bible, the patriarch Abraham is referred to a single time as the ivri, which is the singular form of the Hebrew-language word for Hebrew (plural ivrim, or ibrim). But the term Hebrew almost always occurs in the Hebrew Bible (Tenach, or to Christians, the Old Testament) as a name given to the Israelites by other peoples, rather than one used by themselves. For that matter, the origins of the term Hebrew itself are uncertain. It could be derived from the word eber, or ever, a Hebrew word meaning the “other side” and conceivably referring again to Abraham, who crossed into the land of Canaan from the “other side” of the Euphrates or Jordan rivers.

Some authors believe Hebrew/Ibri denotes the descendents of the biblical patriarch Eber (Hebrew עבר), a great grandson of Noah and an ancestor of Abraham[1], though the term has not been found in biblical or extra-biblical sources for any tribe or nation other than Abraham and his descendents. Note however that Abraham is once referred to as "Abram the Hebrew" (Genesis 14:13).

Hebrews are known as the ancestors of the Israelites, who used the Hebrew language. Israelites were the writers of the Hebrew Bible. They are also the theological and historical ancestors of the Jews. In the Bible and in current language, the word Hebrews is often used as a synonym for Israelites, and sometimes for the users of the Hebrew language (Jews and Israelis)."

"Israelites are defined as the descendants of Jacob, son of Isaac, grandson of Abraham. Eber, an ancestor of Jacob (6 generations removed), is a distant ancestor of many people, including the Israelites, Ishmaelites, Edomites, Ammonites, Midianites, Qahtanite, and Moabites. Among historical scholars, there is some disagreement about the relationship between the Hebrews and Israelites.
The terms "Hebrews" and "Israelites" usually describe the same people, called Hebrews before the conquest of the Land of Canaan and Israelites afterwards."
Source and further information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hebrews

In this sense, Abraham could have been a Hebrew (but there is some disagreement about this).
Also, the supposed Abraham would not have been a Israelite or a Jew.

Further information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israelites
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jew


4) "A Semite (or, "Shemite") is someone descended from Shem, one of the sons of Noah. A Hebrew is someone descended from Heber (or, "Eber"), one of the great-grandsons of Shem. So all Hebrews are Semites, but not all Semites are Hebrews.

Six generations after Heber, Abraham was born to his line, so Abraham was both a Hebrew and a Semite, born of the line of Heber and Shem.

Isaac was born of Abraham; then Jacob of Isaac. Jacob's name was changed to "Israel," and he fathered 12 sons. His sons and their descendants are called Israelites, and they would be both Semitic and Hebrew. However, this would not make either Abraham or Isaac "Israelites." Some, who interchange the words "Jew" and Israelite, call Abraham a Jew, even though Abraham was not even an Israelite, and the word "Jew" is not used in the Bible until 1,000 years after Abraham."
Source and further information:
http://www.jews-for-allah.org/Jews-not-for-Judaism/Semite-Hebrew-Israelite-Jew.htm

Further information:
- "Was Abraham hebrew?":
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Was_abraham_hebrew
- "difference in the terms Hebrew, Jewish, and Israelite":
http://en.allexperts.com/q/Christianity-Church-History-2348/Jew-Hebrew-Israelite.htm

He was Hebrew