Originally posted by the Voice of America. Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America, a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in the public domain. Palin Accuses Critics of 'Blood Libel' After Arizona Shooting Jerome Socolovsky 12 January 2011 Sarah Palin (file photo) Photo: AP Sarah Palin (file photo) Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin is drawing condemnation over her response to the shooting of a lawmaker last weekend in Arizona. Rebutting charges that conservatives' are fomenting violence with supercharged political rhetoric, Palin referred to a religious myth that conjures up centuries of anti-Semitic hatred. Americans have been in shock since a 22-year-old gunmen opened fire on Democratic Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords at a political meeting in Tucson, Arizona, and killed six other people including a 9-year-old girl. With Giffords fighting for her life in hospital, liberals have accused conservatives of legitimizing the use of political violence. Many pointed to a map that appeared on the former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin's political action committee website during the last congressional election. It put gunsight crosshairs on Democratic districts including Giffords' own in southern Arizona. Palin has been largely silent in the days after the tragedy. But on Wednesday morning, she published an online video rejecting the allegation. "Journalists and pundits should not manufacture a blood libel that serves only to incite the very hatred and violence that they purport to condemn," said Palin. "That is reprehensible." A "blood libel" is a false charge that a person or group engages in human sacrifice. It is probably best known for its use in medieval Europe. That's when Jews were first accused of slaughtering Gentile children and drinking their blood - even though in Judaism - as in Islam - dietary laws forbid the consumption of blood. David Harris is president and CEO of the National Democratic Jewish Council. It is an organization of elected officials who - like Gabrielle Giffords herself - are Jewish. He says Palin had every right to defend against her critics, but not by enlisting a myth that precipitated massacres of Jews throughout the ages. "The term 'blood libel' is not interchangeable with 'a false accusation.' It is a very hurtful, damaging, particularly painful thread of Jewish history," said Harris. Palin was not the first person to accuse liberals of a blood libel. It appeared in two commentaries earlier this week. One was written by John Hayward of the conservative newspaper Human Events. "Well, actually, in my case it was almost the first thing that popped into my head when this story line began to develop," said Hayward. "As soon as I heard them talking about blaming this on Palin in particular - and that electoral map that's become so infamous now, with all the little bullseye symbols on it, popped up - the phrase blood libel was the first thing I thought of to describe it." He says he was not thinking of the history of the term. But critics say the choice of words by Palin - who may be running for president in 2012 - was a cynical attempt to capture the spotlight in the aftermath of the Arizona shooting. Hadar Susskind is vice-president of J-Street, a leftist Jewish group better known for its dovish views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. "Certainly she and her advisors knew she was taking a very loaded phrase that was wrought with political and historical meaning," said Susskind. "And to do that - all of the sudden here we are talking about Sarah Palin today." Many political and religious leaders have called for a calming of the political dialogue in the wake of the mass shooting in Tucson. But Sarah Palin's response shows that she remains a polarizing figure in American politics. .