OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, September 9 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - Palestinian Prime Minister-designate Ahmed Qorei stressed Tuesday, September 9, he was seeking an Israeli-Palestinian ceasefire and not just a unilateral truce by Palestinian resistance groups, while Israeli Foreign Minister said the future premier would be judged by his willingness to dismantle the infrastructure of resistance groups.

Qorei, who has conditioned accepting the premiership on an end of Israeli aggressions and American-European guarantees of support, told the Israeli Haaretz daily he would not be satisfied with an internal Palestinian "hudna."

The U.S. State Department said acting U.S. Consul-General in occupied Jerusalem, Jeffrey Feltman, met with Qorei to make clear that Washington's support depended on improvements to the security situation and a crackdown on anti-Israel attacks.

The European Union, for its part, pledged to do everything possible to support Qorei, described by E.U. foreign policy chief Javier Solana's spokeswoman as a "man of peace."

Qorei asserted he would only be able to act as prime minister under certain conditions, including an end to assassinations and a settlement freeze.

Israel must lift the siege on Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, who has been confined by Israeli occupation forces to his West Bank presidential headquarters of Ramallah since the outbreak of Al-Aqsa Intifada, he said.

"Arafat is our chosen president, and he's the one who appointed me as the leader of the new government," Qorei said.

But Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Tuesday that Israel wouldn't cooperate with anyone who acted on Arafat's orders, Israel Radio reported.

Qorei said he sees no point in taking the job unless Israel changes its attitude towards Arafat and the Palestinian people.

He called on Israel to leave him to fight terror and control the Palestinian security services without intervention.

"The main part of the problem isn't on our side, and the key lies with strong Israel, with its military power," Qorei added.

"Compared to Israel, we're weak and imprisoned in one big jail."

In the meanwhile, Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom said Qorei will be judged by his willingness to dismantle the infrastructure of resistance groups.

"His first step must be to make the strategic decision to dismantle the infrastructure of terrorism," he said in a statement carried by Agence France-Presse (AFP).

"We will judge any Palestinian Prime Minister by his actions. He will have to decide whether he stands with Arafat or whether he stands against terrorism," the statement argued.

A senior official traveling with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, now visiting India, said Monday Israel would only engage with Qorei if he were prepared to smash the resistance groups.

"If he ... fights terror, breaks up the terror infrastructure and arrests and investigates Hamas, then he will be considered a partner," the source told reporters on condition of anonymity.

Commentators in Israel have responded with pessimism over the news of Qorei’s nomination, as the decision was taken by Arafat, a development reflecting the Palestinian leader’s continued dominance of Palestinian politics, the BBC News Online reported.