Merkel makes Palestinian girl cry on TV as immigration debate rages in Germany

German chancellor Angela Merkel has been ridiculed for making a young Palestinian girl cry during a TV debate on immigration.

In an emotional scene broadcast across Germany, the 13-year-old girl explains to Ms Merkel that her migrant family is facing deportation to Palestine, only for the chancellor to coolly respond that “politics can be tough sometimes”.

The girl, known only as Reem and who speaks fluent German, had described how her family moved to Germany from Lebanon four years ago, but that now their future was uncertain and they were fearful of being deported. "I would like to go to university," Reem told Ms Merkel.

"It's really very hard to watch how other people can enjoy life and you yourself can't ... I don't know what my future will bring."

Ms Merkel, who stood just a few feet away from Reem, listened before defending her government’s stance on immigration.

“I understand that, however, politics is sometimes hard,” Ms Merkel said.

“Here you are, sitting across from me, an incredibly likable person. But you know too that in the Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon that there are thousands and thousands of people. And if we were to say, ‘You can all come here, you can all come from Africa, and you can all come here,’ we just can’t manage that.”

It was then that Reem broke down in sobs, prompting Ms Merkel to walk over and try to comfort her by rubbing her back.

Whilst the young girl appeared comforted by Ms Merkel’s gentle explanation, the chancelor’s actions have drawn heavy criticism with her described as a “cold ice queen”.

The hashtag #Merkelstreichelt (Merkel strokes) immediately began to trend in Germany, with users on both sides of the debate giving heated opinion on the exchange they had just witnessed.