Does Palin Know What “Blood Libel” Means?

Sarah Palin

It is even more offensive a term in a public message when we consider that Gabrielle Giffords is Jewish. I certainly wonder what the Half Gov. of Alaska was thinking here… did someone write this speech for her (say Glenn Beck?) or are these her own words?

Clipped from Taegan Goddard‘s Political Wire:

clipped from politicalwire.com One particular line in Sarah Palin‘s statement on the Arizona shootings has created an uproar:   “But, 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 they purport to condemn. That is reprehensible.”   The term “blood libel” usually refers to the false accusation that Jews use the blood of Christian children in some of their religious rituals. While it’s not entirely clear what Palin intended, it’s possible she was trying to use dog whistle politics to speak to her religious base who often feel they’re an oppressed minority.

False Accusations of Blood Libel go back to the Middle Ages, as in this document from the Trial of the Jews of Trent in 1478.

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