As an app developer myself I don't see what is wrong with a Cordova HTML app as a Bitcoin wallet leveraging on work done when a native app might have been rejected.
As far as Apple's position, from my reading and discussing with fellow developers, it has always been the burden of the app publisher to verify that the app meets all legal requirements for each market that app is released in. A general wallet app released to all markets would run afoul in more than one country. The wallets that have been recently accepted have apparently taken this in to account and are now inline with that requirement.
I also think the work I see in the Hive wallet is very good... my only issue is with Java, and you've stated you want to move away from it anyway so that's all good.
Just my 2-cents, YMMV...