If elfutils rebuilds from an existing work directory, do_patch fails:

ERROR: Command Error: exit status: 1  Output:
Applying patch redhat-portability.diff
patching file backends/ChangeLog
patching file backends/Makefile.am
patching file backends/Makefile.in
patching file ChangeLog
patching file config/ChangeLog
patching file config/eu.am
patching file config/Makefile.in
Hunk #1 succeeded at 147 (offset 1 line).
Hunk #2 succeeded at 179 (offset 1 line).
patching file config.h.in
patching file configure
Hunk #1 FAILED at 661.
Hunk #2 FAILED at 678.
Hunk #3 FAILED at 802.
Hunk #4 FAILED at 1461.
Hunk #5 succeeded at 4943 with fuzz 1 (offset 234 lines).
Hunk #6 FAILED at 4869.
Hunk #7 succeeded at 5535 (offset 256 lines).
Hunk #8 FAILED at 6015.
Hunk #9 succeeded at 7010 with fuzz 1 (offset 257 lines).
6 out of 9 hunks FAILED -- rejects in file configure
patching file configure.ac
patching file lib/ChangeLog
patching file lib/eu-config.h
patching file lib/Makefile.in
patching file libasm/ChangeLog
patching file libasm/Makefile.in
patching file libcpu/ChangeLog
patching file libcpu/i386_disasm.c
patching file libcpu/Makefile.in
patching file libdw/ChangeLog
patching file libdw/dwarf_begin_elf.c
patching file libdw/libdw.h
patching file libdw/Makefile.in
patching file libdwfl/ChangeLog
patching file libdwfl/linux-core-attach.c
patching file libdwfl/linux-pid-attach.c
patching file libdwfl/Makefile.in
patching file libebl/ChangeLog
patching file libebl/Makefile.in
patching file libelf/ChangeLog
patching file libelf/common.h
patching file libelf/gnuhash_xlate.h
patching file libelf/Makefile.in
patching file m4/Makefile.in
patching file Makefile.in
patching file src/addr2line.c
patching file src/ChangeLog
patching file src/findtextrel.c
patching file src/ld.h
patching file src/Makefile.am
patching file src/Makefile.in
patching file src/readelf.c
patching file src/strings.c
patching file src/strip.c
patching file tests/backtrace.c
patching file tests/ChangeLog
patching file tests/line2addr.c
patching file tests/Makefile.in
Patch redhat-portability.diff does not apply (enforce with -f)
ERROR: Function failed: patch_do_patch
ERROR: Logfile of failure stored in: /data/poky-master/tmp/work/x86_64-linux/elfutils-native/0.158-r0/temp/log.do_patch.4404
ERROR: Task 204 (virtual:native:/home/ross/Yocto/poky/meta/recipes-devtools/elfutils/elfutils_0.158.bb, do_patch) failed with exit code '1'

It's patching generated files, every Makefile.in and configure should be removed from that patch.