Israels President Reuven Rivlin is to visit Washington within weeks, his office said Wednesday, in the first such trip by a high-ranking Israeli official to meet US President Joe Biden. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken extended the invitation to Rivlin as they met on the second day of a Middle East tour aimed at shoring up a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. "Secretary Blinken conveyed President Bidens invitation to visit the United States before the end of his term of office" on July 5, the presidents office said in a statement. Rivlin, whose post is largely ceremonial and cannot be renewed, "accepted the invitation and asked Blinken to convey to the president that he will gladly visit before his presidency ends". Blinken met Rivlin before travelling on to Egypt and Jordan. During his visit, the top US diplomat reiterated support for Israels right to defend itself against rocket attacks by Hamas, which he said must not benefit from the aid effort to rebuild the coastal enclave of Gaza.