When German Chancellor Angela Merkel visited the home of then-15-year-old Palestinian Reem Sahwil in 2015, she sobbed as she experienced her immigration crisis first-hand.
As the "Nius" website reports, the now 23-year-old Palestinian uploaded her photo on Instagram, citing her views on political issues.
Im Juni 2015 erweichte das libanesische Flüchtlingsmädchen Reem Sahil das Herz von Mutti #Merkel. Ein paar Wochen später fiel dann zum ersten Mal der Satz „Wir schaffen das.“
2022 erhielt "Merkels Mädchen" den deutschen Pass. Mittlerweile wirbt sie für die Auslöschung Israels. pic.twitter.com/jxshvbW9Cc
— J. Wegener (@WegenerBD) November 6, 2023
Commenting on the Israel-Hamas war, Reem argued that behind all the suffering of the Palestinians is the Jewish state, as commented by the German newspaper "Bild".
On her social media profile, the teenager shows a map of Israel with an image of the "Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem" in the background and a man standing in front of it waving a Palestinian flag.
Sahwil shared her design with a map of Israel and the Palestinian territories displaying the slogan #freepalestine, "Free Palestine."
As the German newspaper "Bild" reports, Reem reminded her fellow citizens of the "seemingly harmless" saying that "Palestine must be free from the River to the Sea."
Die Palästinenserin Reem #Sahwil 👇 (23) sagte 2015 zum @welt-Reporter: Sie möchte später als Ärztin nach #Palestina gehen, denn dann wird es #Israel ja nicht mehr geben. Sie erhielt im Februar 2023 die deutsche Staatsbürgerschaft! Wie dumm kann ein Staat sein?#HamasTerrorist pic.twitter.com/7xTGUY3Ccm
— Hans-Jürgen Kupka (@NeueARD_Forum) November 13, 2023
This is, in fact, a "cry of annihilation against the Jewish state", the German publication points out. It adds: "It means, in other words, that the Palestinians must receive the entire area between the Mediterranean and the Jordan River."
"This is only possible if Israel is destroyed," the German outlet added.
Sachwil became famous in Germany in 2015 during a citizens' dialogue with the then Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel of the Christian Democrat Union (CDU).
The then 15-year-old Reem claimed she had arrived in Germany with her family in 2010 and, in front of the camera, with Merkel by her side, expressed her fear of deportation and broke down in tears.
#reemsahwil
* 2015 rührt das palästin. "Flüchtlingsmädchen" Merkel zu Tränen, der Blick auf Flüchtlinge war danach ein anderer.
*2022 wird Reema Sahwil deutsche Staatsbürgerin.
*2023 postet sie eine Landkarte "From the river to the sea".Migrationsthema in a nutshell pic.twitter.com/xDzRvvTBjD
— birgit (@montclairchen) November 13, 2023
The then Chancellor somewhat awkwardly tried to comfort the girl and was accused by many of reacting too coldly and showing little compassion. Merkel then welcomed the teenager to the Chancellery to calm the criticisms of her apathy.
Although Merkel did not promise any help to the teenager, the Palestinian remained with her family in Germany. In 2017, she received an indefinite residence permit; in February 2023, she received German citizenship, as the German publication comments.
Speaking to Germany's ARD network, Merkel said in 2015 that she was honest and sympathetic to the teenager Reem.
"We are a state that operates by the letter of the law. Nevertheless, you have to make a crying girl feel better," the German Chancellor at the time said, among other things, to the newspaper "Die Welt".
“It's hard to see other people enjoying life when you can't. I don't know what the future holds for me," the Palestinian teenager had told her.
Rehm commented on Merkel's move to pat her head: "I think her gesture was fine."
Eckhardt Rehberg (69, CDU), Merkel's CDU boss in Meck-Pomm for many years and forever her chief householder in the Bundestag, told BILD: “Anyone like Reem who doesn't share our values cannot become or remain German. She cheated her way into naturalisation.”
Rehberg is generally harsh on the entire German naturalisation policy - including that of his ex-chancellor: "We naturalised too quickly and too many people, without insisting that only those who recognise Israel's right to exist can become German, and not anti-Semites can be naturalised, are simply at the wrong address with us.”
There was also harsh criticism from the FDP's interior and legal expert, Linda Teuteberg. The lawyer to BILD: “Which country is it whose citizenship Reem Sahwil wanted?”
Teuteberg continued: “The protection of Jewish life and Israel’s right to exist is. Part of the foundation of this republic’s values. Anyone who has a problem with that must have a problem in our country.”
The managing director of the Union parliamentary group in the Bundestag, Thorsten Frei (50, CDU), told BILD: “What is certain is that this immigrant anti-Semitism is a massive problem and has long been taboo. The traffic light must urgently present a new draft law on nationality law.”
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