German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday defended her treatment of a crying teenage Palestinian refugee following a storm of protest on social media. Merkel told public broadcaster ARD that she had been honest and sympathetic with 14-year-old Reem, whom she met last week at a public discussion under the banner "Living Well in Germany". During the exchange, which touched off a heated debate on immigration policy after a video of the event went viral, Reem told Merkel in fluent German that she and her family, who arrived in Rostock from a Lebanese refugee camp four years ago, faced possible deportation.