Sorry to hear what happened to some of you, must be quite shocking.
Still, this is the way how things work in The Gulf. This is definately not typical for Etihad only!!
Companies promise jobs all the time and 99 per cent of it never becomes reality.
You are never sure if you have a job here unless you actually sign the contract!
As far as I know: the on-hold e-mail did not promise you the job, right?
If you can t live with this uncertainty, then I suggest you get a job in another part of the world!!