In a statement read out on state television by the information minister, the cabinet announced that it had mandated the interior minister to take "all necessary measures" to defend social peace and security.
Ever since his ouster by the military on July 3, Morsi supporters have been staging daily mass demonstrations and sit-ins nationwide to demand his reinstatement.
The two largest sit-ins have been staged in Rabaa al-Adawiya Square in eastern Cairo and Nahda Square in Giza.
Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood has described threats by the interim government to disperse sit-ins staged by supporters of ousted President Mohamed Morsi as an attempt to thwart EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton's efforts to resolve the ongoing political crisis.
"The cabinet statement, which calls for dispersing the sit-ins by force, is an attempt to abort Ashton's efforts," Hossam al-Merghani, a member of the Brotherhood's political bureau, told the Anadolu Agency.
The Egyptian government on Wednesday asserted that the continuation of sit-ins by pro-Morsi demonstrators in Cairo's Rabaa al-Adawiya Square and Giza's Nahda Square "threaten" Egypt's national security.
In a statement read out on state television by the information minister, the cabinet announced that it had mandated the interior minister to take "all necessary measures" to defend social peace and security.
The statement provided no further details as to what those measures might be.
On Tuesday, Ashton concluded her second visit to Egypt in less than two weeks after meeting Egyptian officials and the leaders of various political powers and groups.
Ashton said she had met with Morsi, who was ousted by the powerful army on July 3 after mass demonstrations against his regime.
Al-Merghani said that the escalation by the government reflected its mounting concern with the success of the coup.
"Our protests are peaceful, and those accusing us of terrorism are terrorizing peaceful protesters and threatening to disperse them by force," he added.
Ever since his removal, Morsi's supporters have been holding daily mass demonstrations and sit-ins nationwide to demand his reinstatement.
The two largest sit-ins have been staged in Rabaa al-Adawiya Square in eastern Cairo and Nahda Square in Giza.
"The Brotherhood will not end their sit-ins until legitimacy is restored. Dispersing the sit-ins by force would only make protesters more adamant in support of legitimacy," al-Merghani said.
He added that the Islamist group had "a number of alternative options" at its disposal for "defending legitimacy," declining to elaborate further.
Morsi supporters, opponents clash in Ismailia; 1 dead
One person was killed and ten others injured on Wednesday in clashes between supporters and opponents of ousted President Mohamed Morsi in the canal city of Ismailia, medical sources told the Anadolu Agency.
The sources added that the man had died after being stabbed in the chest.
The clashes erupted following an argument between the ousted president's detractors and pro-Morsi demonstrators staging a rally in the city of Tal al-Kabir to demand Morsi's reinstatement.
Pro-Morsi coalition calls for anti-coup rallies on Friday
A coalition of largely Islamist parties and groups supportive of ousted President Mohamed Morsi has called for mass rallies on Friday to protest the military coup against Egypt's elected head of state.
Morsi, Egypt's first democratically elected president, was ousted by the powerful army on July 3 after mass demonstrations against his regime.
Ever since his removal, thousands of demonstrators have been staging daily protests and sit-ins to defend Morsi's "democratic legitimacy" and demand his reinstatement.
The two largest sit-ins have been staged in Rabaa al-Adawiya Square in eastern Cairo and Nahda Square in Giza.
The Egyptian government on Wednesday said that the continuation of the two pro-Morsi sit-ins constituted a "threat" to Egypt's national security.
