SARAH PALIN has insisted that she was “falsely accused of being an accessory to murder” in the aftermath of the shooting in Arizona two weeks ago, defending her use of the phrase “blood libel” in responding to it.

Speaking to interviewer Sean Hannity on Fox News – a channel to which Palin is a regular contributor – Palin responded to widespread criticism of her reaction to the shooting, which killed six and critically injured Arizona congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.

In her defence, she had said the press had manufactured a “blood libel” against conservative voices – a phrase more commonly associated with suggestions that minorities (most typically Jews) killed their young and used their blood in religious practices.

Palin’s choice of words had upset many, particularly given Giffords’ status as the first Jewish congresswoman from her state.

“Blood libel obviously means being falsely accused of having blood on your hands. In this case, that’s exactly what was going on,” Palin told Hannity, later adding that she wasn’t aware “how the heck they [critics] would or wouldn’t know” if she understood the definition.

“It’s not just me – it’s all who seem to embrace the time-tested truths that helped build our country,” Palin added, continuing that she was “not going to shut up” being a voice for the political right.

Palin also refused to confirm whether she would seek the Republican Party’s presidential nomination for the 2012 election.