diff --git a/Documentation/git-rebase.txt b/Documentation/git-rebase.txt
index f7a6033607..b003784f01 100644
--- a/Documentation/git-rebase.txt
+++ b/Documentation/git-rebase.txt
@@ -422,8 +422,23 @@ your branch contains commits which were dropped, this option can be used
 with `--keep-base` in order to drop those commits from your branch.
 
 --ignore-whitespace::
+	Ignore whitespace differences when trying to reconcile
+differences. Currently, each backend implements an approximation of
+this behavior:
++
+apply backend: When applying a patch, ignore changes in whitespace in
+context lines. Unfortunately, this means that if the "old" lines being
+replaced by the patch differ only in whitespace from the existing
+file, you will get a merge conflict instead of a successful patch
+application.
++
+merge backend: Treat lines with only whitespace changes as unchanged
+when merging. Unfortunately, this means that any patch hunks that were
+intended to modify whitespace and nothing else will be dropped, even
+if the other side had no changes that conflicted.
+
 --whitespace=<option>::
-	These flags are passed to the 'git apply' program
+	This flag is passed to the 'git apply' program
 	(see linkgit:git-apply[1]) that applies the patch.
 	Implies --apply.
 +
@@ -572,7 +587,6 @@ The following options:
  * --apply
  * --committer-date-is-author-date
  * --ignore-date
- * --ignore-whitespace
  * --whitespace
  * -C
 
@@ -598,6 +612,7 @@ In addition, the following pairs of options are incompatible:
  * --preserve-merges and --signoff
  * --preserve-merges and --rebase-merges
  * --preserve-merges and --empty=
+ * --preserve-merges and --ignore-whitespace
  * --keep-base and --onto
  * --keep-base and --root
 
diff --git a/builtin/rebase.c b/builtin/rebase.c
index 27a07d4e78..810c9b7779 100644
--- a/builtin/rebase.c
+++ b/builtin/rebase.c
@@ -126,6 +126,7 @@ static struct replay_opts get_replay_opts(const struct rebase_options *opts)
 	replay.reschedule_failed_exec = opts->reschedule_failed_exec;
 	replay.gpg_sign = xstrdup_or_null(opts->gpg_sign_opt);
 	replay.strategy = opts->strategy;
+
 	if (opts->strategy_opts)
 		parse_strategy_opts(&replay, opts->strategy_opts);
 
@@ -1466,6 +1467,7 @@ int cmd_rebase(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 	struct strbuf revisions = STRBUF_INIT;
 	struct strbuf buf = STRBUF_INIT;
 	struct object_id merge_base;
+	int ignore_whitespace = 0;
 	enum action action = ACTION_NONE;
 	const char *gpg_sign = NULL;
 	struct string_list exec = STRING_LIST_INIT_NODUP;
@@ -1495,16 +1497,15 @@ int cmd_rebase(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 			PARSE_OPT_NOARG, NULL, REBASE_DIFFSTAT },
 		OPT_BOOL(0, "signoff", &options.signoff,
 			 N_("add a Signed-off-by: line to each commit")),
-		OPT_PASSTHRU_ARGV(0, "ignore-whitespace", &options.git_am_opts,
-				  NULL, N_("passed to 'git am'"),
-				  PARSE_OPT_NOARG),
 		OPT_PASSTHRU_ARGV(0, "committer-date-is-author-date",
 				  &options.git_am_opts, NULL,
 				  N_("passed to 'git am'"), PARSE_OPT_NOARG),
 		OPT_PASSTHRU_ARGV(0, "ignore-date", &options.git_am_opts, NULL,
 				  N_("passed to 'git am'"), PARSE_OPT_NOARG),
 		OPT_PASSTHRU_ARGV('C', NULL, &options.git_am_opts, N_("n"),
 				  N_("passed to 'git apply'"), 0),
+		OPT_BOOL(0, "ignore-whitespace", &ignore_whitespace,
+			 N_("ignore changes in whitespace")),
 		OPT_PASSTHRU_ARGV(0, "whitespace", &options.git_am_opts,
 				  N_("action"), N_("passed to 'git apply'"), 0),
 		OPT_BIT('f', "force-rebase", &options.flags,
@@ -1850,6 +1851,15 @@ int cmd_rebase(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 		imply_merge(&options, "--rebase-merges");
 	}
 
+	if (options.type == REBASE_APPLY) {
+		if (ignore_whitespace)
+			argv_array_push (&options.git_am_opts,
+					 "--ignore-whitespace");
+	} else if (ignore_whitespace) {
+			string_list_append (&strategy_options,
+					    "ignore-space-change");
+	}
+
 	if (strategy_options.nr) {
 		int i;
 
diff --git a/t/t3422-rebase-incompatible-options.sh b/t/t3422-rebase-incompatible-options.sh
index 50e7960702..55ca46786d 100755
--- a/t/t3422-rebase-incompatible-options.sh
+++ b/t/t3422-rebase-incompatible-options.sh
@@ -61,7 +61,6 @@ test_rebase_am_only () {
 }
 
 test_rebase_am_only --whitespace=fix
-test_rebase_am_only --ignore-whitespace
 test_rebase_am_only --committer-date-is-author-date
 test_rebase_am_only -C4
 
diff --git a/t/t3436-rebase-more-options.sh b/t/t3436-rebase-more-options.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000..4f8a6e51c9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/t/t3436-rebase-more-options.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,60 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+#
+# Copyright (c) 2019 Rohit Ashiwal
+#
+
+test_description='tests to ensure compatibility between am and interactive backends'
+
+. ./test-lib.sh
+
+. "$TEST_DIRECTORY"/lib-rebase.sh
+
+# This is a special case in which both am and interactive backends
+# provide the same output. It was done intentionally because
+# both the backends fall short of optimal behaviour.
+test_expect_success 'setup' '
+	git checkout -b topic &&
+	test_write_lines "line 1" "	line 2" "line 3" >file &&
+	git add file &&
+	git commit -m "add file" &&
+
+	test_write_lines "line 1" "new line 2" "line 3" >file &&
+	git commit -am "update file" &&
+	git tag side &&
+
+	git checkout --orphan master &&
+	test_write_lines "line 1" "        line 2" "line 3" >file &&
+	git commit -am "add file" &&
+	git tag main
+'
+
+test_expect_success '--ignore-whitespace works with apply backend' '
+	test_must_fail git rebase --apply main side &&
+	git rebase --abort &&
+	git rebase --apply --ignore-whitespace main side &&
+	git diff --exit-code side
+'
+
+test_expect_success '--ignore-whitespace works with merge backend' '
+	test_must_fail git rebase --merge main side &&
+	git rebase --abort &&
+	git rebase --merge --ignore-whitespace main side &&
+	git diff --exit-code side
+'
+
+test_expect_success '--ignore-whitespace is remembered when continuing' '
+	(
+		set_fake_editor &&
+		FAKE_LINES="break 1" git rebase -i --ignore-whitespace \
+			main side &&
+		git rebase --continue
+	) &&
+	git diff --exit-code side
+'
+
+# This must be the last test in this file
+test_expect_success '$EDITOR and friends are unchanged' '
+	test_editor_unchanged
+'
+
+test_done
