Since Git 1.8.2, Git will use diff.algorithm:
git config --global diff.algorithm patience
It took a few iterations:
[PATCH v3 0/3] Rework git-diff algorithm selection
[PATCH v2 0/3] Rework git-diff algorithm selection
[PATCH 0/3] Rework git-diff algorithm selection
[PATCH] diff: Introduce diff.algorithm variable.
[PATCH] config: Introduce –patience config variable