diff --git a/Documentation/git-rebase.txt b/Documentation/git-rebase.txt
index f7a6033607..d060c143e6 100644
--- a/Documentation/git-rebase.txt
+++ b/Documentation/git-rebase.txt
@@ -422,8 +422,16 @@ 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::
+	Behaves differently depending on which backend is selected.
++
+apply backend: When applying a patch, ignore changes in whitespace in
+context lines.
++
+merge backend: Treat lines with only whitespace changes as unchanged
+when merging.
+
 --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 +580,6 @@ The following options:
  * --apply
  * --committer-date-is-author-date
  * --ignore-date
- * --ignore-whitespace
  * --whitespace
  * -C
 
@@ -598,6 +605,7 @@ 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..5d8e117276 100644
--- a/builtin/rebase.c
+++ b/builtin/rebase.c
@@ -86,6 +86,7 @@ struct rebase_options {
 	int signoff;
 	int allow_rerere_autoupdate;
 	int autosquash;
+	int ignore_whitespace;
 	char *gpg_sign_opt;
 	int autostash;
 	char *cmd;
@@ -108,6 +109,7 @@ struct rebase_options {
 
 static struct replay_opts get_replay_opts(const struct rebase_options *opts)
 {
+	struct strbuf strategy_buf = STRBUF_INIT;
 	struct replay_opts replay = REPLAY_OPTS_INIT;
 
 	replay.action = REPLAY_INTERACTIVE_REBASE;
@@ -126,14 +128,20 @@ 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);
+		strbuf_addstr(&strategy_buf, opts->strategy_opts);
+	if (opts->ignore_whitespace)
+		strbuf_addstr(&strategy_buf, " --ignore-space-change");
+	if (strategy_buf.len)
+		parse_strategy_opts(&replay, strategy_buf.buf);
 
 	if (opts->squash_onto) {
 		oidcpy(&replay.squash_onto, opts->squash_onto);
 		replay.have_squash_onto = 1;
 	}
 
+	strbuf_release(&strategy_buf);
 	return replay;
 }
 
@@ -539,6 +547,8 @@ int cmd_rebase__interactive(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 	argc = parse_options(argc, argv, prefix, options,
 			builtin_rebase_interactive_usage, PARSE_OPT_KEEP_ARGV0);
 
+	opts.strategy_opts = xstrdup_or_null(opts.strategy_opts);
+
 	if (!is_null_oid(&squash_onto))
 		opts.squash_onto = &squash_onto;
 
@@ -991,6 +1001,8 @@ static int run_am(struct rebase_options *opts)
 	am.git_cmd = 1;
 	argv_array_push(&am.args, "am");
 
+	if (opts->ignore_whitespace)
+		argv_array_push(&am.args, "--ignore-whitespace");
 	if (opts->action && !strcmp("continue", opts->action)) {
 		argv_array_push(&am.args, "--resolved");
 		argv_array_pushf(&am.args, "--resolvemsg=%s", resolvemsg);
@@ -1495,16 +1507,15 @@ 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", &options.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,
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..fb5e747e86
--- /dev/null
+++ b/t/t3436-rebase-more-options.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,86 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+#
+# Copyright (c) 2019 Rohit Ashiwal
+#
+
+test_description='tests to ensure compatibility between am and interactive backends'
+
+. ./test-lib.sh
+
+. "$TEST_DIRECTORY"/lib-rebase.sh
+
+# This is a special case in which both am and interactive backends
+# provide the same output. It was done intentionally because
+# both the backends fall short of optimal behaviour.
+test_expect_success 'setup' '
+	git checkout -b topic &&
+	q_to_tab >file <<-\EOF &&
+	line 1
+	Qline 2
+	line 3
+	EOF
+	git add file &&
+	git commit -m "add file" &&
+	cat >file <<-\EOF &&
+	line 1
+	new line 2
+	line 3
+	EOF
+	git commit -am "update file" &&
+	git tag side &&
+
+	git checkout --orphan master &&
+	sed -e "s/^|//" >file <<-\EOF &&
+	|line 1
+	|        line 2
+	|line 3
+	EOF
+	git add file &&
+	git commit -m "add file" &&
+	git tag main
+'
+
+test_expect_success '--ignore-whitespace works with apply backend' '
+	cat >expect <<-\EOF &&
+	line 1
+	new line 2
+	line 3
+	EOF
+	test_must_fail git rebase --apply main side &&
+	git rebase --abort &&
+	git rebase --apply --ignore-whitespace main side &&
+	test_cmp expect file
+'
+
+test_expect_success '--ignore-whitespace works with merge backend' '
+	cat >expect <<-\EOF &&
+	line 1
+	new line 2
+	line 3
+	EOF
+	test_must_fail git rebase --merge main side &&
+	git rebase --abort &&
+	git rebase --merge --ignore-whitespace main side &&
+	test_cmp expect file
+'
+
+test_expect_success '--ignore-whitespace is remembered when continuing' '
+	cat >expect <<-\EOF &&
+	line 1
+	new line 2
+	line 3
+	EOF
+	(
+		set_fake_editor &&
+		FAKE_LINES="break 1" git rebase -i --ignore-whitespace main side
+	) &&
+	git rebase --continue &&
+	test_cmp expect file
+'
+
+# This must be the last test in this file
+test_expect_success '$EDITOR and friends are unchanged' '
+	test_editor_unchanged
+'
+
+test_done
