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German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, seen as a tough contender to other male political leaders, is facing criticism for being "heartless" for making a young Palestinian girl cry on television by telling her that she could not stop her family's possible deportation.

The girl named Reem was among a group of school children gathered in the city of Rostock on Wednesday for an appearance by the German Chancellor at the government’s "Gut Leben in Deutschland (Living Well in Germany)" programme

When her turn came to ask a question, the teenager said she had been living in Germany with her family for four years after moving from a refugee camp in Lebanon. She added that her family still faced the possibility of deportation as they did not have a permanent residential status in the country and had only been granted temporary right of asylum.

“As long as I don't know how long I can stay here, I don’t know what my future will be," she said in fluent German. "I really want to study in Germany – it is unfair to watch while other people can enjoy life and you can’t enjoy it with them.”

Merkel, expecting a routine question, appeared momentarily thrown, but answered: “I understand that, however I have to say sometimes politics is hard. You’re a very nice person but you know that there are thousands and thousands of people in Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon and if say you can all come, and you can all come from Africa, and you can all come, we just can't manage that.”

While Merkel was still holding forth about her government's policy towards refugees, Reem broke down and burst into tears.

Merkel walked over to the teenager, telling the presenter, "I know it's a difficult situation. That's why I want to comfort her."

“Oh, come," she said, as she stroked Reem's shoulder, trying to console her. "You did really great.”

Footage of the encounter has gone viral in Germany, sparking the Twitter trends #merkelstreichelt, meaning “Merkel strokes” and #Empathie (empathy).

But this discussion doesn’t end the problem of refugees in Germany. According to a report from World Bank, there are more than 180,000 refugees already staying with temporary asylum rights in Germany who fear the possibility of deportation.