RUTHFULLY YOURS

Ed Koch says President Obama got his message about White House hostility toward Israel, so the ex-mayor is now back aboard the “Obama Re-election Express.”

You may be jumping the gun, Ed.

Just days after Palestinians thumbed their nose at peace talks and instead went directly to the UN Security Council for a unilateral declaration of statehood, Team Obama last week was again bashing Israel for moves that “undercut” negotiations.

No joke: White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said the Obama folks are “deeply disappointed” by Jerusalem’s announcement of plans for new housing in an area outside Israel’s pre-’67 borders.

Team O was reportedly “taken aback” by the move; Secretary of State Hillary Clinton blasted it as “counterproductive.”

But what did Obama think Israel would do after the Palestinian mischief at Turtle Bay?

Make new concessions?

(The Security Council’s Committee on Admission of New Members officially began reviewing the statehood request last week; its first meeting on the matter was Friday.)

Meanwhile, settlement growth has been a handy Palestinian excuse to avoid peace-making — thanks largely to Obama, who insisted on a freeze. As Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu notes, Israel already abided by a construction ban for 10 months — for naught.

(Come to think of it, the pre-’67-borders idea was Obama’s, too.)

Fact is, Palestinians want a state — but they’ll only make peace when Israel no longer exists. Obama still doesn’t get that.

Yes, in his UN speech last month, he uttered some words in support of Israel (finally) — noting, for example, that the Jewish state is surrounded by hostile nations.

Koch deserves credit for that: By successfully pushing a heavily Jewish, Democratic Queens district to send a Republican, Bob Turner, for Congress, the ex-mayor, in effect, sent Obama an e-mail he couldn’t ignore; Obama’s pro-Israel words reflected that.

It’s also true that Obama has aided Israel militarily (by selling it made-in-the-US weapons).

But, as we said after his UN speech, the prez continues to see both sides as moral equals — wrongly. “Each side,” Obama said, needs to learn “to stand in each other’s shoes.” Clinton echoed that theme Tuesday, urging “both sides” to avoid “provocative” acts.

Koch may want to reward Obama for his baby step toward better treatment of Israel. But no one should think the president has truly changed.

Indeed, don’t be surprised if Koch winds up flipping back — and opposing Obama’s Israel policies again — all too soon.