Palin Joins Debate on Heated Speech With Words That Stir New Controversy

Sarah Palin broke her silence and delivered a forceful denunciation of her critics in a video message about the Arizona shootings, accusing commentators and journalists of “blood libel” in a frenzied rush to blame heated political speech for the violence.

As she sought to defend herself and seize control of a debate that has been boiling for days, Ms. Palin awakened a new controversy by invoking a phrase fraught with religious symbolism about the false accusation used by anti-Semites of Jews murdering Christian children. It was unclear whether Ms. Palin was aware of the historical meaning of the phrase. “Acts of monstrous criminality stand on their own,” Ms. Palin said. “Especially within hours of a tragedy unfolding, journalists and pundits should not manufacture a blood libel that serves only to incite the very hatred and violence that they purport to condemn. That is reprehensible.” She spoke in a somber tone, absent the witticisms often woven into her political speeches, as she sought to contain a debate that had linked her -- unfairly, she argued -- with the assassination attempt on Representative Gabrielle Giffords, Democrat of Arizona.