The US Embassy condemned the Jerusalem Post in a letter to the editor on Wednesday, saying an editorial written about the first anniversary of Rachel Corrie’s death, was “nothing less than a hateful incitement”.

The editorial, written by Ruhama Shattan, “thanks” Ms Corrie – a US peace activist killed in Rafah on March 16 last year – for “defending” the arms-smuggling tunnels in Gaza and “for showing Palestinian children how to despise America”.

The response from the US Embassy, written by Paul Patin, said, “The author's disgusting abuse of the anniversary of the death of this American citizen is inexcusable”.

Ms Corrie came to the country to volunteer with activist group the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) in March 2003 and was crushed by a bulldozer while trying to prevent a housing demolition in Rafah refugee camp, Gaza Strip.

According to Ms Shattan, Ms Corrie “perhaps” helped fan the flames “of violent anti-American sentiment led to the October 2003 bombing of the Fulbright delegation to Gaza”.

“Corrie’s peace . . . means not peaceful coexistence,” Ms Shattan wrote, “but the elimination of the State of Israel, and death to those they call “the usurping Jews, the sons of apes and pigs’.”

Ms Shattan concluded Ms Corrie was a willing martyr and that her activism worked under the auspicious of terrorist networks – if not to assist them knowingly – albeit indirectly.

Ms Shattan also “thanked” Ms Corrie for “providing” ISM with the “opportunity to release a manipulated photo sequence ‘showing’ an Israeli military bulldozer deliberately crushing her” and included the Associated Press and Christian Science Monitor for “taking up the baton and immortalising this cynical ISM stunt”.

Mr Patin said, “The article reflects a level of discourse unbefitting any serious newspaper” and the US Embassy was “disappointed” they had chosen to publish the article.

ISM has requested space in the Jerusalem Post to respond to the allegations and did not rule out the possibility of legal action should their request be denied.